' 


• 


JOAN, 


THE 


HEKOIC  MAIDEN. 


BY 


ALEXANDER  DUMAS. 


TRANSLATED  BY 


LOUISA    C.    INGEB80LL, 


E.  FERRETT  &  Co. 

NEW  YORK— 237  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA— 68  SOUTH  FOURTH  STREET. 

1846. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1845,  by 

E.    FERRETT    &    CO., 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


KING  &  BAIKD,  PRINTERS, 
No.  9  George  Street. 


JOAN,  THE  HEROIC  MAIDEN, 



CHAPTER    I. 

A  FAMILY  OF  PEASANTS. 

IT  was  on  the  holy  Epiphany  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1429,  about  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  a  chevalier  armed  cap-a-pie,  mounted  upon  a 
war-steed,  and  followed  at  some  paces  distant  by  his  groom  and  page,  entered 
the  village  of  Domremy,  which  was  then  called  Domremy-les-Greux,  but 
has  since  lost  this  second  appellation.  Having  arrived  in  front  of  the  church 
and  perceiving  that  the  holy  sacrifice  of  Mass  was  not  yet  finished,  he  drew 
in  his  rein,  alighted  from  his  horse,  placed  his  helmet,  sword  and  spurs  in 
the  hands  of  his  page,  and  thus  disarmed  he  ascended  the  four  steps  which 
conducted  to  the  church-porch,  passing  on  with  the  firm,  bold  step  of  a  gen- 
tleman through  the  midst  of  the  villagers,  who  thronged  the  sacred  edifice 
to  overflowing,  so  that  those  who  came  last  were  obliged  to  kneel  upon  the 
steps  and  even  in  the  street.  But  those  rustic  worshippers  knew  well  that 
the  noble  soldier  was  not  one  of  those  who  should  remain  humbly  at  the 
door,  and  involuntarily  at  the  sound  of  his  echoing  tread  they  fell  back  to 
give  him  passage,  until  he  in  his  turn  found  himself  kneeling  at  the  little 
iron  grate  which  separates  the  priest  from  the  assistants,  so  that  he  was  even 
before  the  singers,  with  none  between  him  and  the  curate  save  the  Sacristan 
and  the  Enfants  de  Choeur. 

Unfortunately  for  the  religious  desires  of  the  chevalier,  the  services  were 
nearly  over  when  he  entered,  and  he  scarcely  had  time  to  say  one  Pater, 
when  the  priest  pronounced  the  sacramental  words,  and  passed  on  to  the 
vestry  bearing  the  silver  pyx  from  which  he  had  just  communed. 

Upon  the  announcement  that  the  services  were  ended,  and  the  departure 
of  the  priest,  each  one  rose,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  turned  to  leave 
the  church,  with  the  exception  of  the  chevalier,  who,  not  having  finished 
his  orisons,  remained  to  the  last,  kneeling  at  the  altar,  and  praying  to  God 
with  a  sincerity  of  devotion,  which  from  that  time  began  to  be  a  rare  quality 
among  military  men.  Whether  it  was  that  the  peasants  were  struck  with 
so  much  appearance  of  piety,  or  seeing  a  man  belonging  to  the  nobility,  they 
hoped  to  learn  some  news  of  the  affairs  of  the  times,  which,  at  that  epoch, 
were  sufficiently  disastrous  to  occupy  the  attention  of  all  ranks,  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest,  only  a  small  portion  of  the  worshippers  retired  to 
their  homes ;  the  majority,  although  the  weather  was  cold,  and  snow  of 


2067056 


4  JOAN,   THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

three  inches  depth  covered  the  ground,  still  remained  standing  in  little  groups 
about  the  church  door,  each  one  burning  with  impatience  to  interrogate  the 
attendants  of  the  chevalier,  but  not  one  of  all  those  brave  men  could  summon 
courage  sufficient  to  attempt  it. 

Among  these  groups  there  was  one,  though  there  was  nothing  remarkable 
in  its  appearance  to  distinguish  it  from  the  others,  to  which,  nevertheless, 
the  attention  of  the  reader  must  be  directed. 

This  group  was  composed  of  a  man  about  fifty  years  of  age,  a  woman  of 
forty  or  forty-five,  three  young  men,  and  one  young  girl.  The  man  and 
the  woman,  from  the  hard  labour  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed,  ap- 
peared somewhat  older  than  they  really  were,  but  they  seemed  in  excellent 
health,  which  contributed  to  maintain  the  serenity  of  sorrow  which  was 
visible  in  their  countenances.  As  to  the  three  young  men,  the  two  eldest 
might  have  been  the  one  twenty-five,  the  other  twenty-four,  and  the  young- 
est about  thirteen ;  they  were  all  vigorous  labourers,  who,  from  their  birth 
it  was  evident  had  been  exempt  from  the  thousand  indispositions  to  which 
the  delicate  health  of  city  children  is  so  frequently  a  prey ;  they  appeared 
also  to  support  with  vigour  and  cheerfulness  the  burden  of  hereditary  toil  to 
which  God  condemned  man  when  he  expelled  him  from  the  terrestrial  Para- 
dise. The  young  girl  was  a  large,  fresh  looking  peasant,  and  though  but 
nineteen,  her  woman's  form  partook  strongly  of  the  powerful  organization 
of  her  father  and  two  elder  brothers. 

Although  this  group  was  nearest  to  that  formed  by  the  chevalier's  attend- 
ants and  the  three  horses,  not  one  of  them  could  decide  upon  making  any 
interrogations,  except  occasionally  casting  upon  them  earnest  inquiring 
glances ;  the  page  imposing  upon  them  by  his  disdainful  and  decisive  air, 
and  the  groom  by  a  brutal  expression  of  countenance  amounting  almost  to 
ferocity.  They  contented  themselves  with  looking  silently  upon  each  other, 
or  in  a  low  tone  exchanging  their  suppositions,  when  a  peasant,  leaving  one 
of  the  neighbouring  groups,  approached  the  one  we  have  particularly  indi- 
cated to  the  reader,  and  slapping  the  shoulder  of  the  old  man  whom  we  have 
pointed  out  as  the  chief  of  the  family: 

"  Well,  brother  Jacques,"  said  he,  "  are  you  any  wiser  than  the  rest  of 
us,  and  can  you  tell  who  this  chevalier  is,  who  prays  so  long  and  so  devoutly 
in  our  church  ?" 

"  By  rny  faith !  brother  Durand,  you  would  do  me  a  great  favour  by  tell- 
ing who  he  is  yourself,  for  I  do  not  recollect  ever  having  seen  his  face  be- 
fore." 

"  Probably  he  is  one  of  those  captains  who  go  to  and  fro  through  our 
unhappy  country,  looking  after  their  own  affairs,  and  seeking  their  own 
benefit,  more  than  that  of  our  poor  king,  Charles  VIII.,  God  bless  him  !  and 
no  doubt  he  has  remained  the  last  in  the  church  to  see  if  the  vases  and  chan- 
deliers are  of  silver,  and  worth  the  trouble  of  pillaging." 

"  Brother,  brother,"  murmured  Jacques,  shaking  his  head,  "  age  should 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  5 

have  corrected  thee  this  fault,  and  taught  thee  prudence,  but  thou  art  rash 
and  light  in  speech  as  a  young  man  of  twenty-five.  It  is  not  handsome  or 
good  to  censure  thus  the  conduct  of  another,  especially  when  that  conduct 
is  irreproachable  in  appearance,  and  such  as  becomes  an  honest  man  and  a 
pious  chevalier." 

"  Indeed,  if  you  are  so  sure  of  his  courtesy,"  replied  Durand,  "  why  do 
you  not  step  up  to  him  boldly,  and  ask  him  who  he  is,  and  from  whence  he 
comes  ?" 

"  Oh !  if  Joanette  were  here,"  said  the  younger  of  the  three  brothers, 
"  she  could  easily  tell  us  who  he  is." 

"  Why  do  you  think  your  sister  would  know  any  better  than  we,  Pierre? 
Has  she  ever  seen  this  chevalier  ?" 

"  No,  my  father,"  murmured  the  young  man,  "  I  do  not  think  she  has 
ever  seen  him." 

"  If  she  has  never  seen  him,"  said  Jacques,  with  a  stern  air,  "  how  do 
you  suppose  she  can  tell  who  he  is  ?" 

"  I  have  done  wrong,  my  father,"  said  the  young  man,  from  whom  the 
first  words  had  involuntarily  escaped,  "  I  acknowledge  I  ought  not  to  have 
said  what  I  did." 

"Really,  brother,"  said  Durand,  bursting  into  a  coarse  laugh,  "if  your 
daughter  is  a  fanatic  and  sorceress,  as  they  say,  perhaps  she  may  know." 

"  Silence,  brother,"  said  Jacques,  with  that  patriarchal  authoritative  tone, 
which  is  still  preserved  by  the  heads  of  families  beneath  the  peasant  roof; 
"  silence,  if  the  words  you  have  just  spoken  had  fallen  upon  the  ears  of  our 
enemies,  it  would  have  been  sufficient  to  draw  us  into  difficulty  with  the 
authorities  at  Toul.  Wife,"  continued  he,  "  where  is  Joan  ?  why  is  she  not 
here  with  us  ?" 

"  She  must  have  remained  in  the  church  to  pray,"  meekly  replied  she  to 
whom  this  question  was  addressed. 

"  No,  mother,"  said  the  young  man,  "  she  came  out  of  the  church  with 
us,  but  she  has  gone  to  the  house  to  get  some  grain  for  her  birds." 

"  Oh  !  there  she  is,"  said  the  mother,  pointing  to  the  street  where  Joan 
was  standing  ;  then  turning  towards  her  husband:  "  Jacques,  my  good  man," 
continued  she,  in  a  beseeching  tone,  "  pray  do  not  scold  the  poor  child." 

"  There  is  no  reason  why  I  should  scold  h6r,  she  has  done  nothing 
wrong,"  replied  Jacques. 

"  No;  but  sometimes  you  are  harsher  towards  her  than  you  ought  to  be. 
It  is  not  her  fault  if  her  sister  has  twice  her  strength,  besides,  she  is  eighteen 
months  younger  than  her  sister,  and  at  her  age  eighteen  months  make  quite 
a  difference ;  another  thing,  you  know  she  passes  whole  nights  in  prayer 
sometimes,  and  she  could  not  be  blamed  if  occasionally  she  fall  asleep  during 
the  day,  or  if,  when  she  is  apparently  awake,  it  often  seems  that  her  mind 
is  sleeping,  and  her  body  is  ignorant  of  what  is  said  to  her.  But  believe 
me,  Jacques,  for  all  that,  Joan  is  a  good  and  pious  girl." 


6  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

"  Well,  with  all  that,  wife,  you  see  every  body  is  laughing  at  her,  even 
our  brother,  who  is  her  own  uncle.  It  is  no  blessing  to  a  family  to  have 
one  in  it,  that  people  are  sometimes  tempted  to  take  for  a  mad  person,  and 
sometimes  for  a  prophet." 

"Saving  your  opinion,  my  father,"  remarked  Pierre,  "Joan  is  made  to 
bring  a  blessing  from  the  Lord  to  any  family  to  which  she  might  belong, 
even  if  it  were  to  that  of  a  king." 

"Child,"  said  Jacques,  "be  seen  and  not  heard,  follow  the  example  of 
your  elder  brothers,  who  do  not  whisper  a  word,  but  leave  those  who  are 
older  to  speak." 

"  My  father,  I  will  obey,"  said  the  young  man,  respectfully.  Mean- 
while, she  who  was  the  object  of  conversation,  approached  with  a  slow 
grave  step.  She  was  a  beautiful  young  girl,  scarcely  seventeen  years  of 
age,  tall,  flexible,  slender  and  well-formed,  and  there  was  something  of  tran- 
quil assurance  in  her  step,  which  seemed  not  to  belong  to  earth.  She  was 
dressed  in  a  long  azure-coloured  robe,  like  that  in  which  Beato  Angelico 
envelopes  the  celestial  forms  of  his  angels,  and  a  girdle  of  the  same  colour 
encircled  her  waist ;  she  wore  upon  her  head  a  kind  of  blue  cap,  similar  to 
the  dress,  the  whole  without  any  ornament  of  gold  or  silver,  but  simple  as 
she  was,  with  her  large  lustrous  black  eyes,  fair  hair,  delicate  complexion, 
she  seemed  the  queen  of  all  the  village  girls. 

Each  one  of  the  interlocutors,  as  they  saw  the  young  girl  approaching, 
wore  a  different  expression  of  countenance ;  Master  Durand  regarded  her 
with  a  mingled  smile  of  curiosity  and  derision,  so  common  to  peasants ; 
Jacques,  with  that  manly  impatience  which  seeks  some  cause  of  anger,  and 
seeks  in  vain  ;  the  mother,  with  that  silent  protecting  fear  with  which  God 
has  endowed  the  females  of  even  inferior  animals  ;  the  two  elder  brothers, 
with  indifference ;  the  sister,  with  a  careless  gaiety,  which  proved  she  had 
perceived  nothing  serious  in  the  altercation  which  had  just  taken  place ;  and 
Pierre,  not  only  with  the  respect  he  owed  to  an  elder  sister,  but  with  the 
veneration  he  would  have  regarded  a  saint. 

"  Welcome,  niece  Joan,"  said  Master  Durand,  "  we  are  all  much  per- 
plexed about  this  chevalier,  and  here  is  your  brother,  who  pretends  that  if 
you  chose,  you  could  tell  who  he  is." 

"  What  chevalier  ?"  demanded  Joan. 

"  He  who  came  into  the  church  to-day,"  replied  Durand. 

"  I  did  not  see  him,"  said  Joan. 

"  If  you  did  not  see  him,  I  think  you  might  have  heard  him,  for  he  made 
such  a  noise,  with  his  coat  of  mail  and  iron  sandals,  that  the  priest  himself 
turned  round  to  see  who  entered." 

"  I  did  not  hear  him,  either." 

"  If  you  neither  saw  or  heard  him,"  interrupted  Jacques,  with  impatience, 
"  what  were  you  doing,  and  of  what  were  you  thinking  ?" 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  7 

"  I  was  occupied  with  my  prayers,  and  thinking  of  my  salvation,  my 
father,"  mildly  replied  Joan. 

"  Well,  if  you  did  not  see  him,  look  now,  for  there  he  is,"  said  Durand, 
pointing  to  the  chevalier,  who  just  then  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  church. 

"  That  is  he !"  exclaimed  Joan,  becoming  paler  than  usual,  and  leaning 
heavily  upon  the  arm  of  her  young  brother,  as  if  wanting  strength  to  sup- 
port herself. 

"  He,  who  ?"  demanded  Jacques,  with  mingled  surprise  and  trouble. 

"  Captain  Robert  de  Beaudricourt." 

"And  who  is  Captain  Robert  de  Beaudricourt?" 

"  A  valiant  chevalier,  who  heads  the  party  of  the  gentle  Dauphin  Charles. 
in  the  town  of  Vaucoleurs." 

"  Silly  child,  who  has  told  you  all  these  fine  things,"  cried  Jacques,  who 
could  no  longer  restrain  his  anger. 

"  It  is  he,  it  is  Captain  Robert  de  Beaudricourt ;  that  is  all  I  can  tell  you, 
my  father,  and  those  who  have  told  me  cannot  be  deceived." 

"  By  my  faith,"  said  Durand,  "  I  will  satisfy  myself  on  this  score,  and  if 
the  child  has  said  true,  I  will  believe  blind-folded  whatever  she  may  tell  me 
after  this." 

Saying  these  words,  he  took  his  hat  in  his  hand  and  marched  towards 
the  chevalier,  who  had  just  taken  the  bridle  from  the  hands  of  his  page,  and 
was  preparing  to  mount  his  horse,  but  seeing  the  peasant  advance  with  the 
evident  intention  of  speaking  to  him,  he  leaned  his  arm  on  the  pommel  of 
his  saddle,  crossed  one  leg  over  the  other,  and  awaited  his  approach. 

"  Noble  chevalier,"  said  master  Durand,  assuming  the  blandest  tone  he 
could  command,"  if  it  is  indeed  true,  as  some  one  has  just  said,  that  you  are 
that  brave  Captain  Robert  de  Beaudricourt,  of  whom  we  have  heard  so 
much,  I  hope  you  will  pardon  a  poor  peasant  who  is  Armagnac  from  the 
bottom  of  his  heart,  for  asking  you  if  you  do  not  come  from  the  Loire, 
and  if  you  cannot  give  us  some  cheering  news  of  our  good  king,  Charles 
the  Seventh." 

"  My  friend,"  replied  the  chevalier,  in  a  more  affable  tone  than  the  nobi- 
lity usually  take  with  this  class  of  people,  "  I  am  indeed  Captain  Robert  de 
Beaudricourt,  and  whoever  has  told  you  my  name  has  not  deceived  you.  As 
to  any  news  of  the  king  I  have  not  much  to  tell,  for  things  have  gone  on 
from  bad  to  worse  in  the  poor  kingdom  of  France  ever  since  the  affair  at 
the  bridge  Montereau." 

"  Pardon,  sire,  if  one  so  poor  as  I  may  speak  of  high  personages,"  con- 
tinued Durand,  emboldened  by  the  tone  of  the  chevalier,  "  but  it  seems  to 
me  affairs  began  to  mend  after  the  Constable  Arthur,  of  Richmond,  had 
given  sire  Boileau  his  deserts,  and  placed  near  our  beloved  king,  Lord 
George  of  Tremoille." 

"  Alas !  my  friend,  quite  to  the  contrary,  and  you  have  much  need  of 
news  if  you  are  of  that  opinion,"  said  the  chevalier,  shaking  his  head ;  "why 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

the  Lord  of  Tremoille  has  done  much  worse  than  ever  the  Lord  of  Boileau 
did ;  hardly  was  he  in  favour,  when  he  took  advantage  of  it  to  remove  the 
constable  and  circumvent  the  king,  so  that  Charles,  God  forgive  him  !  could 
only  see  with  the  eyes  of  his  favourite,  and  at  last  there  remained  to  him 
only  Tanneguy  Duchatel,  the  President  Houret,  and  Master  Michel  le 
Masson,  the  devil's  own  trio,  who  are  leading  him  straight  to  destruction." 

"  But  I  thought,"  replied  Durand,  who  by  degrees  saw  himself  surrounded 
by  all  the  villagers,  and  was  quite  proud  of  being  familiarly  spoken  to  by  a 
chevalier,  "  I  thought  the  king  of  Scotland  had  promised  to  send  to  France 
his  cousin  John  Stuart  with  a  good  number  of  Scotchmen  to  assist  those 
brave  loyal  captains,  who  like  you,  sire,  have  joined  neither  the  English  nor 
Burgundians,  but  have  remained  true  to  the  country." 

"  Scotch,  English,  Irish,"  murmured  Sir  Robert,  "  are  all  hounds  from 
the  same  kennel,  and  I  fear  in  pursuit  of  the  same  prey.  If  the  complete 
fall  of  the  kingdom  of  France  should  happen,  you  will  see  how  eagerly  they 
will  hasten  to  be  in  at  the  death,  to  secure  their  share.  Besides,  whatever 
diligence  they  make,  supposing  they  do  come  to  our  assistance,  I  fear  it  will 
not  be  in  time  to  save  the  good  city  of  Orleans,  which  is  the  last  strong-hold 
the  king  has  upon  the  Loire,  and  which  the  Count  of  Salisbury  is  now  be- 
sieging, in  despite  of  the  solemn  promise  which  he  made  in  England  to  the 
Duke  of  Orleans  not  to  make  war  upon  his  domains  so  long  as  he  was  a 
prisoner,  and  unable  to  defend  them." 

"  And  as  all  perjury  is  a  direct  offence  against  Heaven,"  said  a  gentle 
voice,  "  so  God  has  permitted  the  perfidious  traitor  to  be  punished  for  his 
crime." 

"  What  does  this  young  girl  mean,"  said  Robert  de  Beaudricourt,  asto- 
nished to  see  so  young  a  child  mingle  in  conversation  which  few  of  those 
who  were  present  were  capable  of  supporting. 

"  I  mean,"  said  Joan,  with  the  same  tone  of  gentle  assurance,  "  that  it  is 
now  at  least  eighteen  or  twenty  days  since  the  Count  of  Salisbury  was 
struck  dead  in  mortal  sin  by  the  bursting  of  a  cannon." 

"  Child,  where  did  you  get  such  rich  news,  which  I  myself  have  not  yet 
heard  ?"  said  the  chevalier,  smiling. 

"  Oh,  pay  no  attention  to  her,"  said  Jacques,  passing  hastily  between  his 
daughter  and  Sir  Robert,  "  she  is  a  silly  child,  and  knows  not  what  she 
says." 

"  And  if  it  were  true  that  the  Connt  is  dead,  as  your  daughter  says,  brave 
man,  for  I  suppose  she  is  your  daughter " 

"Alas !  yes,  and  she  has  caused  us  all  much  trouble." 

"  Ah  !  well,  if  he  were  dead,  as  she  says,  for  one  dead  body,  are  there  not 
ten  living  ones  as  powerful  as  was  the  Count  of  Salisbury  ?  Are  there  not 
still  remaining  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  Sir  William  de  la  Poule,  Sir  Jehan 
Falstaff,  Sir  Robert  Heron,  the  Lords  Gray,  Talbot,  Seales,  Lancelot  de 
Lille,  Gladesdale,  William  de  Rochfort,  and  as  many  others  ?" 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  9 

"  And  on  our  side,"  replied  Joan,  brightening  with  animation,  "are  there 
not  for  the  gentle  Dauphin  Charles,  the  Duke  of  Alengon,  the  Count  of 
Clermont,  the  Count  of  Dunois,  Vignoles  de  la  Hire,  Poton  de  Zantrailles, 
and  many,  many  others,  brave  and  loyal  like  you,  and  like  you  ready  to 
sacrifice  their  lives  for  the  good  of  the  kingdom  ?  Then,  above  all,  is  there 
not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  loves  France  and  will  not  permit  her  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  her  enemies,  the  English  and  Burgundians  ?" 

"  Alas  !  sire,  pardon  the  child  for  this  contradiction,"  cried  Jacques,  in 
painful  agitation,  "  I  have  told  you  there  are  times  when  she  says  such 
strange  things  one  would  suppose  her  to  be  mad." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  chevalier,  in  a  melancholy  tone,  "she  must  be  mad 
to  preserve  a  hope  which  the  king  himself  has  not,  and  to  believe  that  Or- 
leans will  be  able  to  hold  out  resistance,  when  not  only  the  capital,  but  the 
good  strong  cities  of  Nogent,  Fargeau,  Sully,  Jaurille,  Beaugency,  Marche- 
nois,  Rambouillet,  Montpipeau,  Thoury,  Pithiviers,  Rochefort,  Chartres, 
and  even  Mans,  have  surrendered  one  after  the  other ;  when  out  of  fourteen 
provinces,  which  the  wise  king,  Charles  V.,  bequeathed  to  Charles  VI., 
there  remain  but  three  to  his  son,  Charles  VII.  Non,  non,  good  people, 
the  kingdom  of  France  is  condemned  for  the  enormity  of  her  crimes." 

"  The  sins  of  men,  both  past  and  future,  however  great  they  may  be, 
have  been  redeemed  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  replied  Joan,  with  extra- 
ordinary assurance,  raising  her  eyes  to  heaven,  beaming  with  inspiration ; 
"  the  kingdom  of  France  will  not  perish,  God  will  preserve  it,  even  were  it 
by  a  miracle." 

"  .#wen,"  responded  the  chevalier,  mounting  his  horse  and  crossing  him- 
self; "meantime,  good  people,"  added  he,  settling  himself  upon  the  saddle, 
"  if  the  Burgundians  should  ever  return  to  pillage  the  village  of  Domremy, 
let  it  be  known  in  all  haste  to  Robert  de  Beaudricourt,  and,  on  the  faith  of 
a  chevalier,  he  must  be  much  occupied  elsewhere,  if  he  do  not  come  to 
your  assistance." 

Saying  these  words,  the  Captain,  who  had  stopped  longer  at  Domremy 
than  he  at  first  intended,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  galloped  away  by  the 
road  which  led  to  Vaucoleurs,  followed  by  his  two  servants,  and  accompa- 
nied by  the  blessings  of  all  the  peasants,  who  followed  him  with  their  eyes 
as  long  as  they  could  see  him. 

When  he  had  disappeared,  Jacques  turned  to  chide  Joan  for  the  great 
boldness  she  had  shown ;  but  he  called  and  sought  in  vain ;  Joan  was  not 
there,  and,  as  all  the  village  had  been  occupied  witli  the  departure  of  the 
chevalier,  none  of  the  peasants  observed  which  way  she  had  gone. 


10  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

CHAPTER   II. 

THE   VOICES. 

IN  short,  as  soon  as  Joan  perceived  the  preparations  of  the  chevalier  for 
his  departure,  she  left  the  circle  which  had  formed  around  him,  and  with 
the  same  slow  tranquil  step  with  which  she  came,  she  bent  her  way 
towards  the  road  to  Neuf  Chateau,  without  appearing  to  observe  the  depth 
of  snow  which  then  covered  the  ground. 

This  remarkable  young  girl  whose  history  we  have  undertaken  to  write 
was  in  nothing  like  her  companions  ;  her  birth,  her  childhood,  her  youth 
had  been  preceded,  accompanied  or  followed  by  all  those  prophetic  signs 
which  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  surrounded  her  clearly  designated  her  to 
be  the  chosen  of  the  Lord. 

Joan,  or  Joanette  as  she  was  usually  called,  was  born  at  Domremy,  a 
charming  valley  watered  by  the  Meuse,  and  situated  between  Neuf  Cha- 
teau and  Vaucoleurs.  Her  father,  Jacques  d'Arc,  and  her  mother,  Isabelle 
Komee,  were  both  of  well  known  integrity,  and  enjoyed  a  spotless  reputa- 
tion. The  night  in  which  Joan  was  born,  and  which  was  that  of  the 
Epiphany,  in  the  year  1412,  making  her  at  the  time  our  story  commences 
just  seventeen  years  of  age,  was  one  of  those  festal  nights  with  which  the 
heavens  sometimes  regale  the  earth :  although  the  weather  at  this  season 
was  usually  cold  and  rainy,  yet  at  this  time  a  gentle  breeze  sprang  up 
towards  evening,  all  embalmed  with  the  delightful  fragrancies  which  we 
inhale  at  twilight  in  the  blossoming  month  of  May.  As  it  was  at  the  close 
of  a  holiday  or  day  of  repose  that  this  unusual  circumstance  took  place, 
each  one  wished  to  enjoy  the  unexpected  blessing,  and  most  of  the  inhabi- 
tants lingered  about  their  doors  until  midnight,  when  a  star  seemed  to  fall 
from  heaven,  and  leaving  in  its  wake  a  brilliant  train  of  light,  it  settled 
upon  the  house  of  Jacques  d'Arc.  At  the  same  time  the  cocks  began  to 
crow,  beat  their  wings  and  make  an  unusual  clamour,  the  inhabitants  with- 
out knowing  the  cause,  felt  themselves  so  fully  imbued  with  a  secret  joy, 
that  they  began  to  run  about  the  streets  asking  each  other  what  could  have 
happened  in  earth  or  heaven,  to  fill  their  hearts  with  so  much  gladness. 

Among  the  rest  was  an  old  shepherd  who  was  known  to  have  made  pre- 
dictions that  had  been  verified,  and  who  enjoyed  not  only  at  Domremy  but 
for  ten  leagues  round  a  reputation  for  science  ;  and  the  old  shepherd  being 
interrogated  by  some  persons  replied :  "  Three  royal  ladies  have  ruined 
France,  but  a  virgin  shall  yet  save  it."*  They  paid  so  much  the  more 

*The  three  Royal  Ladies  were:  the  first,  Eleonore  wife  of  Louis  le  Jeune,  who,  being 
repudiated  by  her  husband,  espoused  in  a  second  marriage  Henry  of  Anjou,  and  brought  to 
him  in  dowry  the  provinces  of  Aquitaine,  Poitou,  Touraine,  and  Maine,  which  united  to 


|lMJ  JOAN,  THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN.  11 

attention  to  these  words  as  they  accorded  with  a  prophecy  of  Merlin  con- 
ceived in  these  terms : 

Descendet  virgo  dorsum  sagitari 
Et  flores  virgineos  obscultavit. 

and  every  one  cried  out  Noel !  in  the  hope  of  some  great  event. 

The  next  day  they  learned  that  precisely  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  Isa- 
belle  Komee,  wife  of  Jacques  d'Arc,  had  given  birth  to  a  daughter. 

The  day  after,  she  was  baptized  under  the  name  of  Joan.  Nynet  was 
the  name  of  the  priest  who  performed  the  office,  and  her  two  god-fathers 
were  Jehan  Barent  and  Jehan  Lingue,  and  her  two  god-mothers  Joan  and 
Agnes. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  signs  of  predestination  which  had  signalized 
her  birth,  the  first  years  of  Joan  passed  like  those  of  other  children  ;  when 
she  was  seven  years  of  age,  as  is  customary  with  labourers,  her  parents 
sent  her  to  the  fields  to  keep  the  sheep,  and  one  thing  to  which  they  paid 
no  attention  at  the  time,  but  which  they  afterwards  remarked,  was  that 
Joan  had  never  to  go  in  search  of  a  lost  sheep  or  lamb,  but  if  she  merely 
called  it  by  its  name  it  would  return  immediately,  or  if  a  wolf  issued  from 
the  wood  she  had  only  to  go  towards  it  holding  in  her  hand  her  shepherd's 
crook,  a  branch  of  a  tree,  or  a  simple  flower,  and  it  quickly  returned  to  the 
wood  from  whence  it  came.  In  short  no  misfortune  befell  the  hereditary 
cabin  so  long  as  Joan  was  beneath  its  roof,  and  thus  she  reached  the  age 
of  twelve  years,  with  the  blessing  of  God  continually  attendant  upon  her 
steps,  but  without  any  manifestation  of  the  extraordinary  future  to  which 
she  was  destined. 

One  day  as  she  was  in  a  meadow  keeping  her  flocks  with  several  of  her 
companions,  the  young  girls  proposed  to  assemble  and  make  a  bouquet, 
which  when  it  was  finished  was  to  be  the  prize  for  a  race  between  them  ; 
Joan  accepted  the  proposal  and  went  to  assist  the  others  in  making  up  the 
bouquet,  then  as  they  were  on  the  point  of  starting  she  devoted  it  to  St. 
Catharine,  promising  to  lay  the  flowers  upon  her  altar  if  she  should  win  ; 
no  sooner  had  she  made  this  vow  than  the  signal  was  given  and  away  the 
young  girls  flew  like  a  brood  of  turtle-doves  ;  Joan  soon  outran  her  com- 
panions, and  with  such  rapidity  that  her  feet  scarcely  seemed  to  touch  the 
ground,  so  that  she  who  followed  the  nearest  for  some  distance,  gave  up 

the  Duchy  of  Normandy  and  the  county  of  Anjou  delivered  the  third  part  of  France  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  second  was  Isabella  of  France,  wife  of  Edward  II.,  who  in  transmitting  to  her  son 
Edward  III.,  the  claims  which  she  pretended  to  have  to  the  throne,  brought  about  that 
famous  war  in  which  the  battles  of  Cressy,  Poitiers  and  Agincourt,  were  the  three  most 
bloody  episodes. 

The  third  was  Isabella  of  Bavaria,  mother  of  Charles  VII.,  who  was  at  that  time  eiciting 
the  English  and  Burgundians  against  her  own  son. 

The  virgin  who  was  to  save  the  kingdom,  so  rudely  compromised  by  these  three  royal 
ladies,  was  the  humble  peasant  girl  whose  history  we  are  now  writing. 


12  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

quite  discouraged,  crying  out:  "Joanette!  Joanette !  you  do  not  run  on 
the  ground  as  we  do,  you  fly  through  the  air  like  a  bird."  In  truth  the 
young  girl,  without  knowing  how  or  why,  felt  herself  elevated  in  the  air  as 
one  does  sometimes  in  a  dream,  and  thus  skimming  along  she  reached  the 
goal,  and  picked  up  the  bouquet,  but  when  she  raised  her  head,  a  hand- 
some youth  whom  she  had  never  seen  before  was  standing  there,  regarding 
her  with  a  smile  of  approbation :  "  Joan,"  said  he,  "  run  quickly  to  the 
house,  your  mother  wants  you."  Joan  supposing  it  was  some  lad  from 
Neufchateau  that  her  mother  or  her  brothers  had  charged  with  this  com- 
mission for  her,  left  her  flock  in  the  keeping  of  one  of  her  companions  and 
ran  to  the  house  ;  but  when  she  entered  the  door,  her  mother  asked  why 
she  returned  before  the  usual  hour,  and  why  she  had  abandoned  her 
flocks. — "  Did  you  not  call  me  ?"  asked  Joan.  "  No,"  replied  her  mother. 
Then  Joan  went  away  to  lay  her  bouquet  upon  the  altar  of  St.  Catharine, 
but  in  order  to  shorfln  the  road  she  went  through  the  garden,  and  in  pass- 
ing along,  she  heard  a  voice  on  the  right,  towards  the  side  of  the  church, 
she  raised  her  head  and  saw  a  luminous  cloud  ;  the  voice  issued  from  the 
cloud  and  said  :  "Joan,  thou  art  born  to  accomplish  wonderful  things,  for 
thou  art  the  virgin  chosen  by  the  Lord  for  the  re-establishment  of  king 
Charles  ;  dressed  as  a  man  thou  shalt  take  arms,  thou  shall  be  chief  of 
war,  and  the  whole  kingdom  shall  obey  thy  counsel." 

After  having  pronounced  these  words  the  voice  ceased,  the  cloud  disap- 
peared, and  the  young  girl  remained  dumb  and  immovable  with  astonish- 
ment. 

In  later  days,  after  Joan  had  accomplished  her  mission,  it  was  remarked 
that  this  first  vision  had  appeared  to  her  on  the  17th  of  August,  1424,  the 
same  day  of  the  battle  of  Verneuil,  in  which  perished  so  many  noble  and 
loyal  chevaliers  that  this  battle  was  estimated  to  have  been  as  fatal  to  the 
nobility  of  France  as  were  those  of  Cricy,  Poitiers  and  Agincourt. 

At  length  Joan  recovered  herself,  and  recollecting  the  flock  she  had  left 
alone,  she  took  the  road  to  the  meadow,  and  there  she  found  her  flock  all 
assembled  beneath  a  large  spreading  tree  which  they  called  the  ladies'  tree, 
or  the  fairies'  tree,  because  the  peasants  who  sometimes  passed  by  that  way 
on  their  return  home  at  night,  affirmed  to  have  seen  long  white  figures 
dancing  there  on  the  grass  under  the  tree,  which  when  approached  van- 
ished in  the  air,  or  were  lost  in  mist.  One  of  Joan's  aunts  even  pretended 
to  have  met  with  such  apparitions  in  that  place,  but  Joan,  although  she  had 
often  danced  and  sung  there  with  her  friends,  had  never  seen  any  thing  of 
the  kind. 

This  tree  was  in  front  of  a  wood  called  "  le  bois  Cheau,"  and  near  a 
spring  of  water  which  was  much  frequented  by  poor  people  who  were 
sick  with  fevers ;  this  superb  tree,  which  derived  much  celebrity  from  the 
associations  connected  with  it,  was  the  property  of  Pierre  de  Bolemont, 
Seigneur  of  Domremy. 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 


13 


Joan  lingered  all  that  day  about  this  tree,  weaving  crowns  of  flowers  in 
honour  of  St.  Catharine  and  St.  Margaret,  for  whom  she  cherished  a  strong 
devotion,  and  these  wreaths  she  fastened  upon  the  branches  of  the  tree ; 
then  when  evening  came  she  led  her  flock  to  the  house. 

As  Joan  was  now  twelve  years  of  age,  and  beginning  to  grow  tall  and 
slender,  her  parents  decided  not  to  send  her  to  the  fields  any  more,  but  to 
send  her  younger  brother  Pierre  in  her  stead  to  watch  the  sheep :  they 
then  taught  her  the  different  kinds  of  needle-work  suitable  for  girls,  and 
she  soon  became  more  skilful  with  her  needle  than  any  in  the  village. 

Meantime  the  recollection  of  her  adventure  in  the  garden  recurred  to  her 
mind  twenty  times  a  day,  and  the  sound  of  that  miraculous  voice  was  con- 
stantly murmuring  in  her  ears.  One  Sunday  as  she  remained  in  church 
after  all  the  others  had  gone,  being  quite  absorbed  in  prayer,  she  suddenly 
heard  the  same  voice  calling  her  by  name ;  she  raised  her  head  and  it 
seemed  as  if  the  roof  of  the  church  had  been  opened  to  give  entrance  to  a 
beautiful  golden  cloud,  in  which  she  saw  a  young  man  whom  she  recog- 
nized to  be  the  same  who  had  spoken  with  her  in  the  meadow ;  only  at 
this  time  he  had  long  shining  wings  upon  his  shoulders,  and  then  she 
knew  it  was  an  angel,  and  being  greatly  rejoiced  at  the  sight  she  said 
mildly : 

"  Sir,  is  it  you  who  call  me  ?" 

"  Yes  Joan,"  replied  the  angel,  "  it  is  I." 

"  What  would  you  with  your  servant  ?"  demanded  Joan. 

"Joan,"  said  the  youth,  "I  am  the  archangel  Michael,  and  I  am  sent 
by  the  King  of  heaven  to  tell  thee  that  thou  art  chosen  from  among  all 
women  to  save  the  kingdom  of  France  from  the  danger  which  threatens  it." 

"And  what  can  I  do,  I,  a  poor  shepherdess?"  demanded  Joan. 

"Be  a  wise,  prudent  child  as  you  ever  have  been,"  replied  the  angel, 
"  and  when  the  time  comes  we  will  tell  you,  St.  Catharine,  St.  Margaret 
and  I ;  for  they  have  both  conceived  an  extraordinary  friendship  for  you, 
in  recompense  of  the  great  veneration  in  which  you  hold  them." 

"The  will  of  God  be  done,"  replied  Joan,  "  and  may  he  dispose  of  his 
servant  according  to  his  own  good  pleasure." 

"Amen !"  said  the  angel ;  and  the  cloud  enveloping  him,  passed  through 
the  vault  of  the  church  and  disappeared. 

From  that  moment  Joan  was  fully  convinced  that  it  was  neither  a  vision 
nor  a  dream,  but  a  wonderful  reality,  and  as  the  priest  who  had  finished 
mass  was  just  then  crossing  the  church  to  go  to  his  house,  Joan  begged 
him  to  hear  her  confession,  and  she  related  to  him  what  she  had  just  seen 
and  heard.  The  priest,  who  was  a  simple,  good  old  curate,  was  delighted 
with  this  confession  of  Joan,  whom  he  had  always  loved  for  her  modesty 
and  devotion ;  so  he  recommended  her  to  say  nothing  of  these  apparitions 
to  any  one,  but  to  follow  implicitly  the  orders  that  she  might  receive  from 
heaven. 


14  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

Three  years  passed  away  without  any  recurrence  of  the  marvellous 
things  which  Joan  had  seen,  but  she  continued  to  grow,  blooming  and 
modest  as  a  wild-wood  flower,  and  though  nothing  of  that  celestial  protec- 
tion was  materially  manifested  to  her,  yet  she  had  an  internal  conviction 
that  she  was  in  the  favour  of  God ;  for  often  when  she  was  alone  she 
heard  the  choirs  of  angels,  as  she  believed,  and  then  she  would  raise  her 
own  soft  voice  and  sing  the  strangest,  sweetest  airs,  which  when  the  hea- 
venly music  ceased  she  would  no  longer  recall.  Frequently  in  the  middle 
of  winter  when  the  ground  was  all  covered  with  snow,  she  would  go  out 
saying  she  was  going  to  gather  a  bouquet  for  her  saints  :  it  was  thus  she 
called  St.  Marguerite  and  St.  Catharine ;  and  when  they  ridiculed  her  and 
pointed  to  the  snowy  ground,  she  only  smiled  sweetly,  and  went  out  of  the 
village  on  the  road  towards  Neufchateau,  and  after  a  while  returned  with  a 
beautiful  chaplet  of  violets,  primroses,  and  butter-cups,  which  she  had 
gathered  and  woven  under  the  ladies'  tree.  Then  her  companions  looked 
upon  her  with  astonishment,  and  as  they  in  their  turn  went  there  and 
found  nothing,  they  said  it  was  the  fairies  who  gave  the  chaplets  to  Joan. 
But  there  was  one  thing  stranger  than  all,  that  was  that  the  wildest,  most 
timid  animals  had  no  fear  of  her,  the  little  kids  and  fawns  would  gambol 
about  her  feet,  and  the  linnets  and  goldfinches  would  light  upon  her 
shoulder  and  sing  as  sweetly  as  if  they  were  perched  on  the  topmost 
branches  of  a  tree. 

During  these  three  years  the  affairs  of  the  king  and  of  France  grew 
worse  and  worse ;  the  kingdom  as  far  as  the  Loire  had  become  one  vast 
solitude,  the  fields  were  deserted,  the  villages  in  ruins,  and  the  only  habi- 
table places  were  the  woods  and  the  cities ;  the  depths  of  the  forest  offered 
a  retreat,  and  the  walls  of  the  city  promised  protection  ;  there  was  no  cul- 
ture and  consequently  no  harvests,  with  the  exception  of  the  harvest  of 
arrows  about  the  city  walls  ;  a  sentinel  was  constantly  on  the  watch,  and 
as  soon  as  he  perceived  the  enemy  he  sounded  the  tocsin.  At  this  sound 
the  labourers  left  their  flocks  and  fled  to  the  city,  and  the  herds  themselves 
had  learned  so  well  to  know  the  sound  that  as  soon  as  they  heard  the 
tocsin,  they  ran  bellowing  to  the  gates  combatting  which  should  enter  first, 
to  put  himself  under  the  protection  of  man. 

About  this  time,  that  is  about  the  commencement  of  the  year  1428, 
Thomas  de  Montaigne,  Count  of  Salisbury,  was  deputed  by  the  three  states 
of  England  to  go  and  make  war  upon  France.  It  was  then  that  the 
knowledge  of  this  expedition  reached  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  had  been 
a  prisoner  in  the  city  of  London  ever  since  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  because 
the  English  would  not  permit  him  to  be  ransomed,  sought  the  Count  of 
Salisbury  and  prayed  him  as  a  good  and  loyal  enemy,  not  to  make  war 
upon  his  domains  so  long  as  he  was  not  there  to  defend  them ;  the  Count 
promised  him  by  an  oath  that  he  would  not ;  and  having  crossed  the  sea 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  15 

with  an  immense  army,  he  disembarked  at  Calais,  and  immediately  set  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  unconquered  portion  of  France. 

As  the  danger  became  more  pressing  than  it  ever  had  been,  so  the  visions 
of  Joan  reappeared.  The  first  time  St.  Michael  reappeared  to  her,  he  was 
accompanied  as  he  had  promised,  by  St.  Catherine  and  St.  Marguerite ; 
the  two  saints  named  themselves  to  Joan,  thanking  her  for  her  devotion  to 
them,  and  telling  her  that,  as  she  had  continued  to  be  a  pious,  prudent, 
good  girl,  she  was  still  the  chosen  of  God  to  accomplish  the  delivery  of 
France :  they  then  ordered  her  to  go  to  king  Charles  VII.,  and  to  tell  him 
that  she  was  sent  from  God  to  be  a  military  chieftain,  and  to  march  the 
French  against  the  English  and  Burgundians. 

Joan  was  speechless  at  this  order :  for  like  a  young  girl  she  was  weak 
and  timid,  and  could  not  look  upon  suffering  without  sympathizing  deeply, 
or  see  blood  flow  without  weeping:  why  then  was  it  that  one  so  delicate 
and  sensitive  should  be  ordered  to  accomplish  the  rude  task  of  a  captain  ? 
No  wonder  then  the  poor  child  trembled  in  view  of  her  impending  destiny, 
and  besought  the  Lord  to  let  her  remain  in  obscurity,  and  to  cast  upon 
some  other  more  worthy  than  her,  the  weight  of  that  sanguinary  election. 

But  Joan  was  chosen  ;  no  mute  uprisings  of  the  heart,  no  prayers  how- 
ever earnest  and  audible,  could  change  the  decree  of  Providence.  One 
day  as  she  was  kneeling  in  a  little  chapel  dedicated  to  "  Our  Lady,"  and 
built  in  an  opening  of  the  Bois  Chenu,  the  cloud  again  appeared  to  her, 
more  luminous  than  it  ever  had  been  ;  like  a  dazzling  golden*  mantle  lined 
with  silver  and  decked  with  pearls,  it  slowly  unfolded  and  brought  to  view 
the  three  celestial  envoys.  Joan  lowered  her  eye-lids,  for  the  heavenly 
splendour  was  too  radiant  for  mortal  sight  to  bear ;  then  one  of  the  three 
celestials,  but  which  it  was  she  could  not  tell,  addressed  to  her  this 
reproach : 

"  Why  dost  thou  delay,  Joan  ?  When  the  order  is  given  why  dost  thou 
not  hasten  to  obey  ?  Suffering  France  requires  it,  the  cities  are  over- 
thrown, the  good  perish,  the  nobles  are  massacred,  and  precious  blood 
flows  over  the  ground  as  if  it  were  but  torrents  of  turbid  water.  Depart, 
Joan,  depart  with  a  rapid  step,  for  the  King  of  heaven  sends  thee!" 

Then  Joan  went  to  seek  her  confessor,  and  related  to  him  what  she  had 
seen  and  heard.  The  old  priest  advised  her  to  obey. 

"  But,"  said  Joan,  "  although  I  wished  to  go,  how  can  I  ?  for  I  do  not 
know  the  road,  the  people,  or  the  king;  they  will  not  believe  me  ;  every 
body  will  laugh  at  me,  and  with  good  reason  too,  for  what  can  be  more 
foolish  than  to  say  to  the  great  ones  of  the  kingdom  :  '  a  child  shall  deliver 
France,  she  shall  direct  military  expeditions  by  her  skill,  she  shall  win 
victory  by  her  courage ;  and  besides,  my  father,  what  can  be  more  strange 
and  improper  than  for  a  young  girl  to  wear  men's  clothes  ?" 

To  this  very  sensible  discourse,  the  good  old  priest  knew  not  what  to 
reply,  only  that  God  was  very  powerful  and  must  be  obeyed. 


16  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

Meantime,  whether  the  voices,  as  Joan  called  them,  were  displeased  at 
her  hesitation,  or  whether  the  time  of  action  was  not  yet  come,  she  saw 
nothing  more  for  some  months.  Then  she  began  to  be  very  much 
troubled  ;  the  poor  child  thought  she  had  fallen  from  the  favour  of  God  ; 
and  seeing  herself  abandoned  by  her  patron  saints,  she  composed  a  prayer 
beseeching  them  to  return  to  her,  and  kneeling  down  before  the  altar  of  St. 
Catherine,  she  recited  it  from  the  very  depths  of  her  heart.  The  prayer 
was  conceived  in  these  terms : 

"  I  beseech  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  our  Lady  the  blessed  Virgin,  to 
send  me  comfort  and  counsel  upon  what  I  must  do,  by  the  mediation  of 
the  blessed  St.  Michael,  the  blessed  St.  Catherine,  and  the  blessed  St. 
Marguerite." 

Hardly  had  she  finished  the  words,  when  the  luminous  cloud  and  the 
celestial  envoys  appeared.  Only,  this  time  it  was  the  angel  Gabriel  who 
accompanied  the  two  saints.  Then  Joan  bowed  her  head,  and  the  voice 
addressed  her  thus : 

"  Joan  !  from  whence  comes  it  that  you  doubt  and  hesitate?  Why  do 
you  ask  how  the  things  which  you  are  required  to  do,  shall  be  accom- 
plished ?  You  say,  you  know  not  the  road  which  conducts  to  the  king  ; 
neither  did  the  Hebrews  know  the  way  that  led  to  the  promised  land, 
nevertheless,  they  departed  and  were  guided  on  their  way  by  (lie  pillar  of 
fire." 

"  Well,"  said  Joan,  emboldened  by  the  gentleness  of  that  voice  which 
she  had  feared  would  be  stern,  "  where  is  the  enemy  that  I  must  combat, 
and  what  is  the  mission  that  I  must  accomplish?" 

*'  The  enemy  which  you  are  to  combat,"  replied  the  voice,  "  is  near 
Orleans,  and  that  you  may  no  longer  doubt  the  truth  of  what  we  say,  we 
tell  you  that  this  day  the  Count  of  Salisbury,  chief  of  the  English  army 
has  been  slain ;  the  mission  which  you  are  to  fulfil  is  to  raise  the  siege  of 
the  good  city  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  is  a  prisoner  in  England,  and 
to  lead  Charles  VII.  to  Reims  to  be  crowned ;  for  so  long  as  he  is  not 
crowned,  he  is  only  a  Dauphin,  and  not  a  king.'' 

"  But,"  said  Joan,  "  I  cannot  go  alone.  To  whom  must  I  address  myself 
for  assistance  ?" 

"  You  are  right,  Joan,"  replied  the  voice  ;  "go  then  to  the  neighbour- 
ing town  of  Vaucouleurs,  which  is  the  only  one  in  the  region  of  Cham- 
pagne that  has  preserved  its  fidelity  to  the  king,  and  there,  ask  to  speak 
with  the  good  chevalier  Robert  de  Beaudricourt ;  tell  him  boldly  by  whom 
you  are  commissioned,  and  he  will  believe  you.  And  for  fear  that  some 
may  try  to  deceive  you,  or  that  you  may  address  yourself  to  the  wrong 
person,  look  now,  and  you  will  see  the  true  resemblance  of  this  chevalier." 
Joan  looked  and  saw  a  chevalier  without  helmet,  without  sword  and 
without  spurs:  she  regarded  him  some  time  in  order  to  engrave  his  fea- 


JOAN,  THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN.  17 

tures  well  upon  her  memory ;  then  by  degrees  the  vision  disappeared. 
Joan  turned  about  to  look  at  the  saints,  but  they  had  gone  back  to  heaven. 

From  that  time  Joan  hesitated  no  more,  and  heartily  set  about  preparing 
herself  for  her  departure. 

It  was  a  momentous  resolution  for  a  young  girl  to  take,  that  of  leaving 
her  parents  and  her  home ;  and  day  after  day  she  could  do  nothing  but 
weep.  One  day  when  she  was  all  in  tears,  she  was  surprised  by  her 
brother  Pierre,  whom  she  loved  much,  and  by  whom  she  was  equally 
beloved.  He  asked  her  what  the  matter  was,  and  she  told  him  all.  The 
poor  lad  offered  to  go  with  her,  that  was  all  he  could  do. 

Some  days  passed  by,  when  the  news  of  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  of 
the  imminent  danger  which  threatened  that  city,  spread  abroad  in  every 
direction,  and  redoubled  the  consternation  of  the  loyalists.  It  was  during 
this  time  that  the  holy  day  of  the  Epiphany  arrived,  and  the  events  took 
place  at  Domremy  which  we  have  related  in  our  first  chapter. 

These  events  signified  to  Joan  that  the  hour  of  her  departure  was  come ; 
for,  she  had  seen  the  chevalier  de  Beaudricourt  so  precisely  like  the  image 
that  had  appeared  to  her,  that  she  knew  him  at  the  first  glance.  She  de- 
cided then  to  seek  solitude  in  order  to  consult  her  '  voices'  once  more,  and 
if  her  voices  ordered  her  to  depart,  even  were  it  instantly,  she  was  resolved 
this  time  to  obey. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CAPTAIN    BEAUDRICOURT. 

WHEN  Joan  had  gone  a  few  paces  on  the  road,  the  birds  from  the  field* 
and  woods,  being  deprived  of  their  nourishment  by  the  snow  which  had 
fallen  the  evening  before,  came  fluttering  about  her  as  if  they  knew  she 
had  brought  them  grain.  The  young  girl  then  recollected  that  it  was  her 
first  intention  to  feed  the  birds,  so  as  she  walked  along  she  scattered  the 
wheat  and  hemp-seed,  which  Pierre  had  said  she  went  to  the  house  to  get. 
She  went  on  thus  till  she  reached  the  "  Fairies  tree,"  which,  at  that  time, 
was  all  shorn  of  its  beautiful  foliage,  accompanied  still  by  her  winged  escort, 
which  covered  the  branches  of  the  sturdy  old  tree,  and  began  to  warble  the 
praises  of  the  Lord,  in  a  language  which,  though  unintelligible  to  man,  is 
not  the  less  understood  by  God.  At  that  moment  the  village  bell  rang  for 
noon ;  Joan  had  observed  that  it  was  particularly  when  the  bells  rang  that 
her  visions  had  appeared  to  her,  so  she  knelt  down,  as  she  usually  did 
when  she  heard  that  brazen  voice  which  speaks  to  men  in  the  name  of  the 

2 


18  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

Lord,  and  full  of  hope  and  faith  she  made  to  the  saints  her  accustomed 
petition.  Joan's  faith  was  not  vain,  for  hardly  had  she  finished  her  prayer 
when  the  birds  that  covered  the  branches  of  the  tree  were  silent,  the  cloud 
descended,  and  her  celestial  protectors  appeared  before  her. 

"  Blessed  art  thou,  Joan  !"  said  they,  "for  thou  hast  had  faith  in  God 
and  in  us ;  do  as  thou  hast  been  commanded ;  march  on  boldly,  without 
fear  of  being  lost,  and  be  not  discouraged  by  a  first  refusal :  the  great  King 
of  Heaven  will  give  thee  the  power  of  persuasion." 

"  But,"  demanded  Joan,  "  ought  I  to  expose  myself  alone  on  the  roads, 
or  hazard  myself  in  towns  without  any  visible  protection  ?  Shall  I  not  be 
taken  for  some  lost  child,  or  perhaps  for  some  wicked  adventurer?" 

"  The  protection  of  God  is  sufficient  for  those  who  put  their  trust  in 
him,  Joan ;  but  since  thou  desirest  a  protector,  before  thou  art  risen  from 
thy  knees  the  Lord  will  send  thee  one.  Thus,  Joan,  no  more  hesitation, 
no  more  delay  :  depart !  depart  instantly,  for  the  moment  is  come." 

"The  will  of  God  be  done!"  said  Joan.  "I  am  but  the  humblest  of 
his  servants,  and  I  will  obey." 

As  Joan  finished  these  words  the  cloud  disappeared,  and  the  birds 
renewed  their  songs.  As  for  Joan,  she  was  finishing  a  mental  prayer,  a 
pious,  filial  prayer,  in  which  she  besought  her  parents  to  pardon  her  for 
leaving  them  thus,  without  bidding  them  adieu  or  asking  their  blessing. 
But  Joan  knew  her  father :  he  was  a  man  of  a  stern,  unyielding  temper, 
and  she  knew  well  he  would  never  permit  her  to  hazard  herself  in  the 
midst  of  armed  men,  or  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

Joan  was  still  upon  her  knees  when  she  heard  some  one  calling  her ; 
she  turned  around  and  saw  her  uncle  Durand  Haxart.  She  knew  then 
that  he  was  the  protector  that  her  "  voices"  had  promised  her,  and  rising 
quickly  she  walked  straight  towards  him,  with  an  air  of  perfect  confidence 
and  serenity,  although  the  farewell  tears  involuntarily  trembled  upon  her 
long  eye-lashes. 

"Is  it  thou,  Joanette,"  said  Master  Durand ;  "  what  art  thou  doing  here 
my  child,  whilst  thy  father  and  thy  mother  are  every  where  seeking  for 
thee?" 

"Alas!  my  uncle,"  replied  the  young  girl,  with  a  mournful  shake  of 
her  head,  "they  will  call  me  and  seek  for  me  a  long  time,  for  I  have  now 
left  them  perhaps  for  ever." 

"  Why,  where  are  you  going,  Joanette  ?" 

"I  am  going  where  God  sends  me,  my  uncle,  and  my  voices  have  just 
told  me  that  I  may  rely  upon  you  to  accompany  me  wherever  I  go." 

"Listen,  Joanette,"  replied  Master  Durand;  "if  you  had  made  such  a 
proposition  to  me  this  morning,  1  would  have  taken  you  by  the  arm  and 
led  you  to  your  father,  telling  him  to  keep  stricter  watch  over  you  than  he 
ever  had  done  ;  but  after  what  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes,  and  heard 


JOAN,  THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN*.  19 

with  my  own  ears,  I  feel  disposed  to  aid  you,  even  were  it  to  commit  some 
folly.  Relate  to  me  now  what  has  happened,  and  tell  me  wherein  I  can 
be  useful  to  you,  and  rely  upon  me." 

Joan  and  her  uncle  took  to  the  road  to  Neufchateau,  where  her  uncle 
lived,  and  all  along  the  way  Joan  related  to  him  those  things  which  we 
have  just  narrated  ourselves  ;  so  that,  by  a  reaction  so  natural  to  incredu- 
lous people,  by  the  time  they  arrived  at  Durand's  door,  it  was  he  who  sup- 
ported and  comforted  Joan.  Meantime  he  judged  it  proper  to  make  a  little 
change  in  the  project  adopted  by  the  young  girl ;  his  plan  was,  to  precede 
her  to  Vaucouleurs  and  to  apprise  Captain  Beaudricourt  of  Joan's  intended 
visit ;  and  as  the  idea  of  presenting  herself  alone  was  repulsive  to  Joan, 
she  gladly  accepted  the  offer  of  her  uncle. 

Durand  set  off  the  next  day;  but  the  reception  of  Captain  Beaudricourt 
was  far  from  being  what  he  expected ;  already  a  woman,  named  Marie 
Davignon,  supporting  herself  upon  the  prophecy  of  Merlin,  had  demanded 
to  be  presented  to  the  king,  affirming  that  she  had  important  things  to 
reveal  to  him,  but  when  admitted  to  his  presence  she  had  nothing  to  say, 
except  that  an  angel  had  appeared  to  her  once  and  presented  her  with 
arms,  at  the  sight  of  which  she  was  so  much  frightened  that  the  angel 
hastened  to  tell  her  they  were  not  for  her  but  for  another  woman,  to  whom 
was  reserved  the  glory  of  rescuing  France  from  her  perilous  situation. 

Now  as  Captain  Beaudricourt  thought  this  might  perhaps  be  an  adven- 
turer of  the  same  kind,  he  replied  to  Master  Durand  that  his  niece  was  a 
silly  madcap,  and  advised  him  to  box  her  ears  and  send  her  back  to  her 
father  and  mother. 

Durand  related  this  reply  to  his  niece,  who  went  away  and  began  to 
pray,  invoking  her  "  voices"  in  her  accustomed  terms.  Now,  as  before, 
the  archangel  and  saints  appeared  ;  Joan  interrogated  them  concerning  the 
rebuff  she  had  received,  and  the  voice  said,  "Thou  hast  doubted,  Joan, 
whereas  God  requires  perfect  faith ;  God  directed  thee  to  go  there  thyself, 
and  thou  hast  sent  another,  and  that  other  has  not  succeeded  :  for  it  is  to 
thee  alone  that  God  has  given  the  gift  of  persuasion.  Depart  then, 
instantly,  for  all  may  yet  be  repaired." 

Joan  set  out  for  Vaucouleurs  the  Friday  after  the  Epiphany.  She 
arrived  there  in  the  night,  and  her  uncle,  who  accompanied  her,  knocked 
at  the  door  of  a  wheelwright,  who  gave  them  hospitality.  The  wheel- 
wright's wife  wished  to  share  her  bed  with  Joan,  but  Joan  refused  her  kind 
offer,  and  disposing  herself  for  prayer  she  remained  absorbed  in  her  devo- 
tions until  dawn  of  day. 

The  fervent  and  continued  prayer  of  Joan  had  given  her  so  much  assur- 
ance, that  when  she  thought  the  hour  was  come  to  present  herself  to  the 
chevalier  she  refused  the  aid  of  her  uncle,  telling  him  that  her  "voices" 
had  commanded  her  to  go  alone.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  she 
presented  herself  at  the  residence  of  the  captain,  and  as  it  was  still  quite 


20  JOAN,  THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

early  the  visit  rather  diverted  the  officers,  who  introduced  her  immediately 
to  their  master,  although  he  was  at  that  moment  in  conference  with  a  brave 
chevalier  named  John  de  Novelompont,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Gien, 
upon  the  Loire,  and  brought  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  Count  of  Salis- 
bury. 

Joan  entered,  and  advancing  towards  the  captain  : 

"  Sir  Robert,"  said  she,  "  know  that  my  Lord  has  long  since  ordered 
me  to  go  to  the  gentle  Dauphin,  who  must,  who  is,  and  who  will  be  the 
sole  true  King  of  France." 

"  And  who  is  this  Lord,  my  friend  ?"  said  the  captain,  smiling. 

"The  King  of  Heaven,"  replied  Joan. 

"And  when  you  are  once  near  the  Dauphin,  what  will  happen  then  ?" 

"  The  Dauphin  will  give  me  soldiers  ;  I  shall  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans, 
and  after  I  have  done  that  I  shall  take  the  Dauphin  to  Reims  to  be 
crowned." 

The  two  chevaliers  looked  at  each  other  and  burst  into  a  laugh. 

"  Do  not  doubt,"  said  Joan,  with  her  usual  calm  serious  air,  "  for  by  my 
faith  I  tell  you  the  exact  truth." 

"It  seems  to  me  this  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  seen  you,"  said  the 
Chevalier  Beaudricourt,  looking  attentively  at  Joan. 

«« It  was  I,"  replied  the  young  girl,  "  who,  on  the  day  of  the  Epiphany, 
announced  to  you  at  Domremy  the  death  of  the  Count  of  Salisbury,  which 
this  noble  chevalier,"  added  she,  turning  to  John  de  Novelompont,  "  has 
just  confirmed  to  you." 

The  chevalier  was  startled,  for  he  had  arrived  in  the  night,  and  had 
spoken  to  no  person  of  the  news  he  brought ;  the  captain  himself  was 
somewhat  shaken  in  his  doubt. 

"  But,"  said  he  to  Joan,  "  if  you  knew  of  the  death  of  the  noble  count 
before  any  one  else,  doubtless  you  can  tell  us  in  what  manner  he  died." 

"  Certainly,  I  can,"  replied  Joan  ;  "  he  was  standing  near  a  window  in 
a  turret,  from  whence  he  looked  out  upon  the  good  and  loyal  city  of  Orleans, 
when  God,  who  knows,  treats,  and  recompenses  men  according  to  their 
merit,  permitted  him  to  be  struck  by  a  stone,  which  hit  him  in  the  eye, 
and  two  days  after  he  passed  from  life  to  death." 

The  two  chevaliers  looked  at  each  other  with  astonishment,  for  all  the 
details  were  minutely  exact.  However,  as  these  revelations  might  come 
from  the  infernal  regions  as  well  as  from  Heaven,  Sir  Robert,  in  order  to 
have  time  for  reflection  upon  the  subject,  dismissed  Joan  without  promis- 
ing her  anything. 

Joan  returned  to  the  wheelwright's  without  being  very  much  disheart- 
ened by  the  cool  reception  she  had  met  with,  for  her  "voices"  had  told 
her  that  she  would  be  doubted  for  some  time,  but  at  last  God  would  bestow 
upon  her  the  gift  of  persuasion.  There  she  established  herself,  occupying 
as  little  space  as  possible  among  these  good  people,  passing  her  days  in  the 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  21 

church,  confessing,  fasting,  and  communing,  constantly  repeating  that  she 
must  be  conducted  to  the  Dauphin,  and  that  once  there  she  would  lead  him 
to  Reims  to  be  crowned,  after  having  raised  the  siege  of  Orleans ;  she  was 
so  young,  so  beautiful,  and  such  gentle,  chaste  words  fell  from  her  lips, 
that  the  poor  people,  always  more  credulous  than  the  great,  because  more 
miserable,  followed  her  whenever  she  went  out,  making  her  an  escort  of 
their  prayers,  and  saying  that  she  was  really  a  holy  woman,  and  if  she  was 
repulsed  the  misfortunes  that  threatened  France  would  fall  on  those  who 
repulsed  her. 

This  universal  concert  of  praises  reached  the  ear  of  Captain  Beaudri- 
court,  who,  from  what  had  passed,  was  already  excited  on  the  subject,  so 
that  he  sought  out  the  curate  of  Vaucouleurs,  and  related  to  him  what  he 
knew.  The  curate  reflected  a  moment,  then  partaking  of  the  fears  of  the 
captain  he  said  there  was  but  one  way  of  ascertaining  if  the  divination  was 
from  God  or  from  Satan,  and  that  was  by  exorcism. 

The  chevalier  concurred  in  the  proposition :  the  curate  put  on  his  robe, 
took  a  crucifix,  and  they  both  set  out  for  the  house  where  Joan  lodged. 

They  found  Joan  in  prayer ;  the  curate  and  captain  went  into  her  room 
and  left  the  door  open  so  that  every  one  might  see  what  was  passing;  Joan 
remained  in  the  attitude  of  prayer,  and  the  curate  presented  to  her  the  cru- 
cifix, and  adjured  her  if  she  was  evil  to  depart  from  them;  but  Joan,  on 
the  contrary,  crept  humbly  to  the  priest,  kissed  the  hem  of  his  robe  and 
the  crucifix  with  so  much  faith  and  fervour,  that  the  priest  declared  that  she 
might  be  mad  but  that  she  certainly  was  not  possessed. 

Sir  Robert  went  away  fully  convinced  of  the  source  of  Joan's  inspira- 
tion, but  this  assurance  was  not  sufficient  to  determine  him  to  grant  her 
request.  She  was  not  possessed,  it  was  true,  but,  as  the  curate  said,  she 
might  be  mad  ;  besides,  what  would  be  said  if  an  officer  bearing  lance  and 
sword,  should  send  to  his  king  a  woman  to  defend  him?  Thus  Joan  had 
conquered  doubt,  but  she  had  still  to  combat  with  pride. 

The  next  day,  as  the  fame  of  her  piety  spread  through  the  town  of  Vau- 
couleurs and  the  surrounding  villages,  Rene  of  Anjou,  Duke  of  Bar,  who 
had  been  sick  for  a  long  time,  and  whom  the  physicians  could  not  cure, 
sent  for  her  to  come  and  consult  upon  his  malady.  Joan  hastened  to  obey 
the  summons,  as  her  sympathy  always  inclined  her  to  heed  the  voice  of 
suffering,  but  when  she  arrived  there  she  declared  to  him  that  she  had  but 
one  mission  from  Heaven  and  that  was  to  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and 
lead  Charles  VII.  to  Reims  to  be  crowned.  She  told  him  to  take  good 
courage,  and  not  to  give  his  subjects  cause  of  scandal  by  living  on  bad 
terms  with  his  wife,  as  he  had  done ;  then  recommending  to  him  the  fear 
of  God  she  took  leave  of  him,  promising  to  pray  for  his  recovery.  The 
duke  gave  her  four  francs  which  she  distributed  to  some  poor  people  as 
she  went  out. 

As  she  was  entering  Vaucouleurs  she  met  the  Chevalier  Novelompont, 


JOAN,    THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

who  was  promenading  the  street  with  another  gentleman  named  Bertrand 
de  Poulangy.  John  de  Novelompont  recognized  her,  for  she  had  made  a 
strong  impression  upon  him,  and  as  the  news  of  the  siege  became  every 
day  more  melancholy,  he  stopped  and  accosted  her:  "Ah!  Joan,"  said 
he,  "  shall  we  be  forced  to  see  our  king  driven  from  France,  and  ourselves 
obliged  to  submit  to  the  English  !" 

"Ah!  well,"  replied  Joan,  "this  need  not  be,  if  they  would  believe 
me ;  but,  unfortunately,  Sir  Robert  heeds  neither  me  or  my  words,  and  so 
much  precious  time  is  lost:  however,  I  must  go  to  the  Dauphin  before 
mid-Lent,  even  though  I  should  walk  my  feet  off,  for  no  person  in  the 
world,  neither  emperor,  king,  duke,  daughter  of  Scottish  king,  or  any 
other,  can  relieve  the  kingdom  of  France :  there  is  no  succour  but  in  me. 
Nevertheless,  I  would  rather  stay  at  home  and  spin  beside  my  mother,  but 
I  must  go  and  do  what  my  Lord  commands." 

Then  the  Chevalier  Novelompont,  looking  steadily  at  Joan  and  perceiv- 
ing the  faith  and  confidence  which  sparkled  in  her  eyes,  said : 

"  Listen,  Joan,  I  know  not  from  whence  it  comes,  and  wo  be  to  you  if  it 
is  from  the  evil  one,  but  I  feel  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  what  you  say;  and  I 
pledge  you  my  faith,  if  Beaudricourt  continues  unyielding  to  your  request, 
I  myself,  God  willing,  will  conduct  you  to  the  king." 

And  he  gave  her  his  hand  in  pledge  of  his  agreement. 

"  Oh  !"  said  Joan,  pressing  that  loyal  hand,  "  in  God's  name  do  so,  and 
pray  do  it  quickly ;  for  this  day,  at  Orleans,  the  gentle  Dauphin  has  suffered 
great  loss,  and  a  still  greater  one  threatens  him,  if  you  do  not  send  or  take 
me  to  him  immediately." 

Sir  Bertrand  de  Poulangy,  who  had  heard  all  the  conversation,  and  who 
participated  in  the  feelings  of  his  friend,  extended  his  hand  also  to  Joan,  and 
swore  that  he  would  not  abandon  her,  but  would  accompany  her  wherever 
she  wished  to  go. 

Joan  was  so  delighted,  she  thanked  them  both  again  and  again,  and  wished 
to  depart  instantly ;  but  they  told  her,  that  by  courtesy  they  ought  first  to 
ask  permission  of  Sir  Robert. 

"  And  what  if  Sir  Robert  refuse  ?"  said  the  young  girl,  trembling. 

"  If  he  refuse,"  replied  the  two  chevaliers,  "  we  shall  nevertheless  act  our 
own  pleasure,  but  at  least  we  will  perform  our  duty  by  consulting  him." 

"  Adieu,  then,  and  God  be  with  you  !"  said  Joan ;  and  returning  to  the 
wheelwright's,  she  sought  confidence  and  strength  in  prayer. 

As  we  have  said,  Sir  Robert  was  more  than  half  persuaded,  but  he  was 
restrained  by  the  fear  of  ridicule ;  he  was  highly  gratified  that  two  such 
brave  chevaliers  as  John  de  Novelompont  and  Bertrand  de  Poulangy  should 
take  the  responsibility  upon  themselves  :  he  partly  gave  his  consent,  and 
told  them  to  bring  Joan  to  him,  that  they  might  arrange  together  the  prepa- 
rations for  her  departure. 

The  two  chevaliers  then  went  to  the  wheelwright's  for  Joan,  who  heard 


,  * 

JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  23 

with  great  joy  the  decision  which  had  been  made  with  regard  to  her.  She 
rose  immediately,  and  accompanied  them  to  Sir  Robert.  The  Captain  asked 
her  what  things  were  necessary  for  her  journey. 

Joan  replied  that  her  voices  had  ordered  her  to  wear  the  dress  of  a  man, 
and  that  for  the  rest,  she  referred  herself  to  him.  They  ordered  a  dress  for 
her,  which  was  ready  the  next  day :  Joan  dressed  herself  in  it,  adjusted  her 
cap,  put  on  her  spatterdashes  and  spurs,  with  as  much  ease  and  facility  as 
if  she  had  never  worn  any  thing  else.  Sir  Robert  wished  to  give  her  a 
sword  ;  but  she  refused  it,  saying  that,  that  was  not  the  sword  she  was  to 
use.  The  chevaliers  then  asked  her  what  road  they  should  take  to  go  to 
the  king,  who  was  at  Chinon. 

"  The  shortest,"  replied  Joan. 

"  But  by  the  shortest  way  we  shall  encounter  many  English,  who  will 
obstruct  our  passage,"  said  the  chevalier. 

"  In  the  name  of  God !"  exclaimed  Joan,  "  do  as  I  say ;  and  provided  you 
conduct  me  to  the  Dauphin,  be  assured  we  shall  meet  with  no  obstacle  in 
the  way. 

The  chevaliers,  overcome  by  her  tone  of  assurance,  made  no  further  ob- 
servations, but  followed  her  in  perfect  faith  and  confidence. 

At  the  door,  she  took  leave  of  her  uncle,  embracing  him  affectionately, 
and  begging  him  to  excuse  her  conduct  to  her  parents ;  and  to  tell  them  she 
could  depart  with  entire  satisfaction  if  she  only  had  their  blessing ;  but  that 
she  hoped  the  time  would  come  when  they  would  commend  her  for  having 
obeyed  her  heavenly  Father. 

A  superb  black  horse,  which  Sir  Robert  had  purchased,  stood  in  readi- 
ness for  Joan;  she  essayed  to  mount  him,  but  the  horse  careered  so  vio- 
lently, that  it  was  impossible.  Then  Joan  said :  "  Lead  him  to  the  cross 
which  is  before  the  church  near  the  road." 

The  servant  who  held  the  bridle  obeyed,  and  as  soon  as  the  noble  courser 
was  before  the  cross  it  became  as  gentle  as  a  lamb,  and  Joan  mounted  it 
without  any  difficulty.  Then  all  the  people,  being  astonished  at  the  courage 
and  address  of  the  young  girl  cried  out:  "  Bravo  !  Bravo !" 

Sir  Robert  then  received  the  oath  of  the  two  chevaliers  to  conduct  Joan 
to  the  king,  and  turning  towards  Joan,  whom  he  saluted  with  the  hand  for 
the  last  time. 

"  Go  on  your  way,"  said  he,  "let  come  what  may." 

Then  Joan,  turning  herself  towards  the  priests  and  churchmen,  who  were 
gazing  at  her  from  the  portals  of  the  church,  said :  "You  priests  and  church- 
men !  make  a  procession  and  offer  up  prayers  to  God." 

Then  gathering  up  her  reins  and  putting  spurs  to  her  horse,  like  the  bold- 
est cavalier : 

"  Forward  !  forward  !"  said  she. 

And  she  set  off  at  a  brisk  trot,  accompanied  by  the  two  chevaliers,  and 
followed  by  their  servants,  an  archer,  and  a  messenger  of  the  king. 


24  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

THE    GENTLE    DAUPHIN. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  firm  confidence  which  Joan  exhibited,  Sir  John  and 
Sir  Bertrand  had  still  some  misgivings  j  they  had  a  hundred  and  fifty  leagues 
to  travel  from  Vaucouleurs  to  Chinon,  that  is  to  say,  half  the  extent  of 
France,  and  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  way  were  in  the  power  of  the  English 
and  Burgundians.  But  when,  after  three  or  four  days'  journey,  they  en- 
countered no  hostile  parties,  when  they  saw  the  young  girl  plunge  boldly 
into  the  forests,  and  take  her  road  as  if  by  instinct ;  when  on  arriving  at  the 
banks  of  broad  deep  rivers,  they  saw  her  horse  find  out  unfrequented  fording 
places,  and  reach  the  opposite  shore  in  safety,  then  they  began  to  have  entire 
faith  in  Joan,  abandoning  themselves  completely  to  her,  permitting  her  to 
stop  whenever  she  chose  to  pay  her  devotions  in  the  churches,  a  thing  they 
had  not  allowed  her  to  do  before,  for  fear  of  being  recognized  as  Armagnacs, 
in  which  case  they  would  have  been  denounced  by  the  people  and  attacked 
by  the  garrison.  In  short,  they  relied  so  entirely  upon  the  guidance  of  the 
inspired  maiden,  that  she  conducted  them  as  the  star  did  the  wise  men  of 
the  east.  At  length,  after  fourteen  days'  travel,  they  arrived  at  Gien  upon 
the  Loire,  where  they  heard  of  the  famous  defeat  of  Thouvray,  which  is 
called  the  "  battle  of  the  Herrings,"  because  the  English  had  been  attacked 
by  the  French  as  they  were  conducting  to  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  who  com- 
manded the  siege,  a  convoy  of  provisions,  composed  mostly  of  salt  fish.  In 
this  battle,  when  John  Falstaff,  commander  of  the  convoy,  bravely  main- 
tained his  reputation  of  a  great  captain,  as  he  was,  John  Stuart,  Constable  of 
Scotland,  Lords  Dorval,  Lesquot,  and  Chateaubrun  were  slain,  besides  three 
or  four  hundred  of  the  bravest  soldiers,  who  had  preserved  their  loyalty  and 
attachment  to  France ;  the  Count  of  Dunois  was  also  wounded,  so  that  terror 
and  consternation  were  greater  than  ever ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  this  news 
greatly  heightened  the  credit  of  Joan  in  the  minds  of  her  two  companions, 
for  John  de  Novelompont  recollected  that  this  defeat  had  taken  place  the 
very  day  that  Joan  announced  at  Vaucouleurs  the  news  of  the  recent  loss  of 
the  Dauphin. 

When  our  travellers  reached  Gien,  they  had  finished  the  hardest  part  of 
their  journey,  for  they  were  then  upon  French  ground,  and  the  journey  had 
been  acomplished  as  Joan  had  predicted,  without  the  slightest  accident  hap- 
pening to  the  chevaliers,  their  servants,  or  even  to  their  horses.  At  Gien, 
the  report  was  noised  abroad  that  the  prophecy  of  Merlin  was  about  to  be 
fulfilled,  and  that  the  young  girl  who  was  to  be  the  miraculous  deliverer  of 
France  had  been  found ;  so  that  all  the  inhabitants  hastened  eagerly  to  see 
her.  Joan  then  appeared  at  the  window  of  the  hotel,  and  proclaimed  to 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN.  25 

them  that  the  desolation  of  the  land  was  near  its  close,  for  that  she  was  sent 
by  God  for  the  delivery  of  France,  and  the  coronation  of  the  king. 

There  was  so  much  of  gentle  but  firm  assurance  in  Joan's  manner,  she 
appeared  so  much  like  an  instrument  of  Providence,  and  in  her  conversa- 
tion she  mingled  so  much  humility  and  faith,  that  at  Gien,  as  well  as  at 
Vaucouleurs,  the  people  began  to  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  relief 
by  the  instrumentality  of  Joan. 

The  next  day  they  again  set  forward  on  their  journey,  and  fatiguing  as  it 
was  for  a  young  girl  who  had  never  been  on  horse  back  before,  Joan  be- 
trayed no  appearance  of  weariness  or  suffering,  and  insisted  upon  urging 
forward  as  fast  as  possible  on  their  way  to  Chinon.  No  king  of  France 
had  ever  been  in  so  deplorable  a  condition  as  the  Dauphin  was  at  that  time. 
The  misery  of  the  people  had  ascended  to  the  throne,  and  that  misery  was 
so  great  that  there  was  no  more  money  in  the  king's  purse  nor  in  the  royal 
treasury,  and  Kenaut  de  Bouligny,  purser  to  the  king,  declared  there  were 
but  four  crowns  ready  money  at  his  command,  so  that  Zantrailles  and  La 
Hire  being  on  a  visit  to  the  king,  and  the  king  having  invited  them  to  dine 
with  them,  he  had  to  offer  them  but  two  chickens  and  a  loin  of  mutton. 

It  was  then  high  time  for  the  arrival  of  Joan.  However,  she  wished  to 
stop  at  the  church  of  St.  Catharine  de  Fierbois,  which  was  a  holy  place  of 
pilgrimage,  there  to  pay  her  devotions.  While  she  was  there  she  dictated 
a  letter  by  the  chevaliers,  to  be  sent  to  the  king,  announcing  to  him  that  she 
had  come  from  a  great  distance  to  aid  him,  and  to  tell  him  things  of  the 
highest  importance.  Joan  received  an  immediate  reply,  inviting  her  to 
Chinon.  The  travellers  put  themselves  "  en  route,"  and  arriving  at  the 
royal  residence,  Joan  alighted  at  a  hotel,  while  the  two  travelling  companions 
repaired  to  Charles  VII. 

But  Charles,  like  an  unfortunate  king,  was  distrustful :  often  deceived  by 
those  whom  he  regarded  as  his  best  friends,  and  abandoned  by  those  upon 
whom  he  relied  as  his  most  faithful  adherents,  he  could  not  believe  in  the 
disinterested  devotion  of  a  stranger.  Consequently,  he  made  some  difficulty 
about  receiving  Joan,  and  contented  himself  with  sending  three  of  his  coun- 
sellors. At  first,  Joan  would  not  reply  to  them,  saying  that  her  business 
was  with  the  Dauphin,  and  not  with  them.  But  at  last  she  consented  to 
repeat  to  them  what  she  had  so  many  times  before  without  being  believed ; 
namely,  that  she  had  come  to  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  to  conduct  the 
Dauphin  to  Reims;  and  the  counsellors  being  thoroughly  instructed  by  her, 
returned  to  the  king  with  the  news. 

Joan  remained  two  days  without  receiving  any  further  attention  from  the 
king.  Nevertheless  she  had  good  courage,  comforting  the  two  chevaliers 
who  had  brought  her,  and  asserting,  with  wonderful  assurance,  that  she  was 
certain  the  king  would  hear  her  at  last.  And  truly  enough,  on  the  third  day 
the  Count  of  Vendome  presented  himself  at  the  hotel,  and  announced  to 
Joan  that  he  had  come  to  conduct  her  to  the  Dauphin.  Joan  appeared 


26  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

neither  confused  nor  surprised :  she  had  expected  this  interview  for  a  long 
time,  and  was  prepared  for  it.  She  observed  to  the  Count  that  his  visit  did 
not  surprise  her,  because  her  voices  had  told  her  he  would  come,  adding  that 
she  was  ready  to  follow  him,  and  begging  him  to  hasten,  for  that  too  much 
time  had  been  lost  already. 

The  king,  still  distrustful,  after  the  departure  of  the  count  of  Vendome, 
had  proposed  to  his  counsel  to  prove  Joan,  and  the  test  that  he  suggested 
was  to  mingle  himself  among  the  chevaliers  of  his  suite,  and  to  put  another 
in  his  place,  to  see  if  Joan  would  not  be  deceived.  This  test  was  adopted, 
and  the  king  placed  upon  the  throne  a  young  nobleman  of  his  own  age,  and 
who  was  even  more  richly  clad  than  himself,  whilst  he  took  his  place  be- 
hind the  others.  Hardly  was  the  substitution  made  when  the  door  opened, 
and  Joan  entered. 

Then  it  was  that  the  truth  of  her  mission  shone  forth  in  its  most  convinc- 
ing light,  for  without  regarding  appearances,  Joan  walked  straight  to  Charles, 
and  kneeling  before  him,  said : 

"  God  grant  you  a  long  and  happy  life,  noble  and  gentle  Dauphin  !" 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Joan,"  replied  Charles ;  "  I  am  not  the  king ;  that  is 
he  who  is  seated  upon  the  throne." 

"  In  Heaven's  name,  my  prince,"  said  Joan,  "  do  not  seek  to  deceive 
me,  for  you  are  indeed  the  Dauphin  and  no  other." 

Then  a  murmur  of  astonishment  ran  round  the  assembly. 

"  Gentle  Dauphin,"  said  she,  "  why  will  you  not  believe  me  ?  I  tell  you, 
my  prince,  and  rely  upon  my  words,  God  has  pity  upon  you,  and  upon 
your  kingdom  and  your  people ;  for  St.  Louis  and  Charlemagne  are  on  their 
knees  before  him,  making  prayers  for  you.  Besides,  I  will  tell  you  some- 
thing by  which  you  will  be  convinced  that  you  ought  to  believe  me,  if  you 
will  have  the  goodness  to  hear  me." 

Then  king  Charles  led  her  into  an  oratory  which  was  beside  the  council- 
hall  :  "  Now,  Joan,"  said  he,  "  we  are  alone ;  let  me  hear  what  you  have  to 
say." 

"  I  desire  nothing  better,"  replied  Joan,  "  but  if  I  tell  you  of  things  known 
only  to  God  and  yourself,  will  you  have  confidence  in  me,  and  believe  that 
I  am  sent  by  divine  command  ?" 

"  Yes,  Joan,  I  will,"  said  the  king. 

"  Well,"  said  the  young  girl,  "  do  you  not  remember  that  last  All-Saints, 
when  you  were  all  alone  in  your  chapel  at  Castle  Loches,  you  made  three 
requests  to  God?" 

"  Nothing  is  more  true,"  said  the  king,  "I  remember  it  well." 

"  Sire,"  demanded  Joan,  "  have  you  never  revealed  these  requests  to  your 
confessor  nor  to  any  one  else  ?" 

"  Never,"  said  the  king. 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  tell  you  what  these  three  requests  were.  The  first 
that  you  addressed  to  God  was,  that  if  you  were  not  the  veritable  heir  to  the 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN.  27 

kingdom  of  France,  he  would  deprive  you  of  the  courage  to  continue  this 
dreadful  war  which  costs  you  so  much  blood  and  treasure  to  your  kingdom. 
The  second  was,  that  if  the  terrible  scourge  which  was  desolating  France 
proceeded  from  your  sins,  you  besought  God  to  relieve  your  poor  people 
from  a  fault  not  their  own,  and  to  let  the  whole  chastisement  fall  upon  your 
head,  were  that  chastisement  eternal  penance,  or  even  death.  Finally,  the 
third  was,  that  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  sin  proceeded  from  the  people,  you 
besought  him  to  have  pity  on  them  for  his  mercy's  sake,  so  that  the  king- 
dom might  cease  from  the  tribulations  which  had  been  desolating  the  land 
for  more  than  twelve  years." 

After  hearing  these  words,  the  king  bowed  his  head,  and  remained  a  long 
time  absorbed  in  thought ;  then  he  fastened  his  eyes  upon  the  fair  young 
girl  with  the  most  serious  attention,  and  at  length  he  said : 

"  Joan,  all  that  you  have  related  is  true  ;  but  it  is  not  sufficient  that  I  alone 
am  convinced  that  you  are  sent  from  God ;  my  counsellors  must  also  parti- 
cipate in  my  belief,  otherwise  you  will  cause  dissension  between  us,  and  we 
are  already  unhappy  and  divided  enough  as  we  are." 

"Very  well,"  said  Joan,  "to-morrow  assemble  three  or  four  of  your 
most  faithful,  and  if  possible  some  churchmen,  and  I  will  give  you  a  sign 
after  which  no  person  will  doubt  me :  for  my  voices  have  promised  to 
grant  me  this  sign,  and  I  am  certain  that  at  my  request  I  shall  receive  it 
from  them." 

Then  the  king  and  Joan  returned  to  the  council,  where  they  were  await- 
ing their  reappearance  with  great  impatience.  When  the  door  was  opened 
all  eyes  turned  towards  the  king,  and  they  saw  by  his  grave  thoughtful 
countenance,  that  the  young  girl  had  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  the  king,  "  it  is  sufficient  for  to-day  ;  this  is  a  sub- 
ject for  reflection,  and  we  must  take  the  advice  of  our  most  intimate  coun- 
sellors upon  so  extraordinary  an  event.  As  for  you,  Joan,  you  may  now 
retire,  for  you  must  be  fatigued  with  your  long  journey,  and  do  not  forget 
what  you  have  promised  us  for  to-morrow." 

r  "  By  the  help  of  God,  not  only  what  I  have  promised  for  to-morrow, 
but  what  I  have  promised  for  the  future,  shall  be  accomplished  !"  Then 
bending  one  knee  before  the  king,  she  kissed  his  hand,  and  retired  with 
the  same  tranquil,  modest  manner  with  which  she  came. 

At  the  moment  when  Joan  reached  the  street  door  a  cavalier  came  by, 
who  was  riding  his  horse  to  the  Loire  to  water.  As  the  report  of  Joan's 
arrival  had  spread  through  the  town,  the  cavalier,  who  was  very  incredu- 
lous in  these  matters,  stopped  before  Joan  and  insulted  her  with  coarse 
language  mingled  with  blasphemies.  Joan  perceiving  that  it  was  to  her 
he  addressed  himself,  raised  her  head  and  looking  at  him  with  more  melan- 
choly than  anger:  "Alas  !"  said  she,  "  miserable  man,  can  you  thus  blas- 
pheme your  Maker  when  you  are  so  near  death  !" 

The  horseman  paid  no  attention  to  this  prophecy,  but  went  on  uttering 


28  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

blasphemies  till  became  to  the  river;  just  as  his  horse  raised  his  head 
after  having  drank,  he  took  fright  by  some  noise,  and  plunged  into  the 
water ;  the  man  tried  to  rein  him  towards  the  shore,  but  the  horse  dashed 
violently  forward  into  the  stream  and  lost  his  footing.  The  cavalier  then 
sprang  from  his  saddle  and  tried  to  swim  ashore ;  but  whether  he  was 
seized  with  the  cramp,  or  the  words  of  Joan  recurring  to  him  had  para- 
lyzed his  mind,  he  had  barely  time  to  say:  "God  have  mercy  on  my 
soul !"  when  he  disappeared.  Two  hours  after  they  found  his  body  in  a 
mill-sluice. 

As  several  persons  had  heard  what  the  cavalier  said  to  Joan  and  the 
reply  she  made  him,  this  event  was  regarded  as  a  miracle,  and  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  inspired  maiden  was  so  much  augmented  by  it  that  in  the  even- 
ing crowds  of  people  assembled  under  the  windows  of  her  hotel  and  asked 
to  see  her.  Joan  soon  appeared  upon  a  balcony,  and  repeated  to  the 
people  in  her  mild  earnest  tone,  that  she  was  sent  from  God  for  the  deli- 
verance of  France  and  her  rightful  sovereign  Charles  VII.  The  poor 
people  more  encouraged  by  the  words  of  this  young  girl  than  they  would 
have  been  by  an  army  of  twenty  thousand  men,  rent  the  air  with  their 
shouts  of  joy.  That  evening  a  part  of  the  town  was  illuminated. 

The  next  day  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  king  sent  for  Joan. 
Joan,  who  anticipated  this  summons,  immediately  followed  the  royal  mes- 
senger to  castle  Chinon,  where  the  king  awaited  their  arrival.  They  were 
accompanied  by  a  multitude  of  people  who  had  followed  closely  upon  the 
steps  of  Joan,  and  who  remained  outside  the  door,  so  eager  were  they  to 
hear  the  news  of  this  interview.  Joan  courageously  ascended  the  stairs 
and  entered  the  apartment  of  the  king;  there  she  found  Charles  VII.,  with 
the  archbishop  of  Reims,  prince  Charles  of  Bourbon,  and  the  Lord  of 
Tremoille. 

Then  the  archbishop  of  Reims  began  to  interrogate  Joan,  asking  her 
from  whence  she  came,  what  her  father's  name  was,  and  in  what  manner 
the  inspiration  had  been  revealed  to  her.  Joan  then  related  as  much  of  her 
history  as  she  could  recollect,  and  in  so  simple  and  modest  a  manner  that 
the  auditors  felt  themselves  irresistibly  imbued  with  the  faith  which  ani- 
mated the  youthful  heroine.  When  Joan  had  finished  her  recital,  the 
archbishop  asked  her  if  there  was  not  a  wood  near  her  father's  house,  and 
what  the  name  of  that  wood  was.  Joan  replied  that  there  was  indeed  a 
forest  there  which  they  could  see  from  the  door  of  her  father's  house,  and 
that  the  name  of  the  forest  was  "  Le  Bois  Chenu." 

Then  the  archbishop  turned  to  the  king  and  the  noblemen,  saying:  "It 
is  even  so."  In  fact,  the  prophecy  of  Merlin  had  declared  that  the  young 
girl  who  was  to  save  France  would  come  e  nemore  canuto.  The  king  and 
his  counsellors  appeared  almost  convinced,  however,  they  wished  to  sift 
the  matter  thoroughly,  so  the  archbishop  returned  to  Joan  and  renewed 
his  interrogations. 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  29 

"Joan,"  said  he,  "  you  have  promised  to  the  king  to  make  known  the 
truth  of  your  mission  by  an  indisputable  sign ;  what  is  this  sign  ?  we  wait 
for  its  manifestation ;  and  if  it  be  such  as  you  have  promised  us,  we  are 
prepared  to  believe  that  you  are  the  true  envoy  of  God." 

"Await  ray  return,"  said  Joan,  "  and  meantime  devote  yourselves  to 
prayer." 

As  she  said  this  she  passed  into  the  chapel,  where  she  found  herself 
alone;  and  when  she  reached  the  altar  she  knelt  down  and  with  a  voice 
full  of  that  faith  which  can  remove  mountains,  she  prayed  thus  : 

"  Most  blessed  Lord  and  Saviour,  I  beseech  thee  in  honour  of  thy  holy 
passion  to  permit  the  blessed  archangel  Michael,  and  the  blessed  St.  Catha- 
rine and  St.  Marguerite,  to  manifest  themselves  to  thy  humble  servant,  if 
it  be  still  thy  will  that  I,  a  poor  peasant  girl,  should  go  in  thy  name  to  aid 
the  kingdom  of  France  !" 

Hardly  had  Joan  pronounced  the  words  when  the  cloud  descended,  and 
she  saw  not  only  the  archangel  and  the  two  saints,  but  also  in  the  distance 
a  shining  host  of  angels,  who  waved  their  light  wings  and  chanted  the 
praises  of  the  Lord.  Joan  was  so  dazzled  with  the  splendour  that  she 
could  not  look  upon  it. 

"Thou  hast  called  us,  Joan,"  said  the  voice,  "  what  dost  thou  desire 
of  us  ?" 

"  Blessed  St.  Michael,  and  you  my  patron  saints,"  replied  Joan,  "  I 
have  called  you  to  give  me  a  sign  by  the  aid  of  which  I  may  make  known 
to  the  Dauphin  that  I  am  the  true  envoy  of  our  Lord." 

"  Thou  hast  had  faith  in  us,  Joan,"  said  the  voice,  "  and  we  will  keep 
the  promise  we  have  made  thee." 

At  these  words  St.  Michael  made  a  signal,  and  an  angel  parted  from  the 
celestial  choir,  and  descended  with  one  wave  of  his  wing  from  the  height 
of  heaven  to  the  surface  of  the  earth :  the  angel  held  in  his  hand  a  crown 
of  jewels  so  resplendently  dazzling  that  human  orbs  could  scarcely  support 
their  brilliancy. 

"  Behold  the  promised  sign,"  said  the  voice,  "  and  when  the  most  incre- 
dulous have  seen  it,  they  will  cease  to  doubt." 

The  cloud  ascended  to  heaven,  but  the  angel  who  held  the  crown  re- 
mained, and  when  Joan  raised  her  eyes  she  saw  him  standing  before  her. 

The  angel  then,  without  uttering  a  word,  but  with  a  benign  smile, 
taking  Joan  by  the  hand,  walked  or  rather  glided  towards  the  door  of  the 
chapel,  which  opened  into  the  apartment  of  the  king :  there,  they  found 
Charles  VII.,  and  his  counsellors,  still  upon  their  knees  in  prayer,  but  as 
soon  as  they  saw  the  young  girl  and  her  celestial  conductor,  they  started 
to  their  feet  in  the  greatest  astonishment.  The  angel  then  released  the 
hand  of  Joan,  and  advancing  towards  the  king  who  was  about  a  sword's 
length  from  the  door,  he  bowed  before  him,  and  placing  the  crown  in  the 
hands  of  the  archbishop  who  was  at  his  side,  he  said : 


30  JOAN,   THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

"  Sire,  I  come  to  announce  to  you  that  you  are  in  the  favour  of  the  Lord, 
who  sends  you  this  young  girl  for  the  delivery  of  France  ;  put  her  boldly 
to  the  task,  give  her  as  many  soldiers  as  you  can  assemble,  and  in  token 
that  she  will  cause  you  to  be  crowned  at  Reims,  here  is  the  celestial 
crown  which  is  sent  to  you  by  the  Lord  your  God.  Doubt  no  longer, 
sire;  for  if  you  doubt  still,  it  will  be  an  offence  against  the  great  King  of 
heaven." 

Saying  these  words,  the  angel  let  go  the  crown  which  he  had  kept  his 
hand  upon  till  then,  and  gliding  again  over  the  floor  he  entered  the  chapel, 
from  whence  Joan  saw  him  gently  ascend  through  the  vault  and  disappear. 

At  this  sight  the  poor  child  began  to  cry,  for  her  soul,  which  was  filled 
with  gloomy  presentiments  of  what  her  body  would  suffer  on  earth,  had  a 
longing  desire  to  wing  its  way  to  heaven  with  the  beautiful  angel :  but  for 
her,  the  moment  of  eternal  happiness  was  not  yet  come,  and  the  angel  left 
her  with  her  hands  clasped,  and  the  prayer  which  she  so  fervently  breathed 
was  not  granted. 

Then  Joan  arose,  and  with  a  deep  sigh  approaching  the  king: 

"  Gentle  Dauphin,"  said  she,  pointing  to  the  crown,  "  there  is  your 
sign,  take  it." 

Charles  VII.  then  bowed  before  the  archbishop,  who  placed  the  crown 
upon  his  head. 

To  date  from  this  moment,  it  was  nearly  decided  that  they  should  give 
full  credence  to  Joan  ;  however,  the  counsellors  desired  of  the  king,  that 
Joan  should  first  be  sent  to  Poitiers,  at  which  place  were  the  court  of  par- 
liament and  several  learned  doctors  in  theology.  The  king  declared  he 
would  conduct  her  himself  to  this  city,  and  sent  her  a  message  to  hold 
herself  in  readiness  to  set  off  the  next  day.  Joan  asked  where  they  were 
going  to  take  her,  and  they  replied  to  her  that  it  was  to  Poiters.  "  By 
my  faith !"  said  she,  "  I  shall  have  enough  to  do  there  ;  but  no  matter, 
God  will  aid  me.  I  wait  the  king's  pleasure." 

The  next  day  Joan  departed  for  the  city  of  Poitiers.  There  she  found 
all  the  scholars  and  doctors  for  twenty  leagues  round  waiting  her  arrival : 
they  had  heard  already  of  the  great  confidence  which  the  king  had  in  this 
young  girl,  and  as  he  had  suffered  himself  to  be  influenced  without  con- 
sulting them,  they  were  so  much  annoyed  by  it  that  they  wished  above  all 
things  to  make  her  fall  into  some  contradiction  ;  and  as  Joan  had  said 
before,  she  had  enough  to  do  with  them  ;  but  her  presence  of  mind  did  not 
abandon  her  for  a  moment,  so  that  every  one  wondered  how  such  a  poor 
young  girl  who  had  never  learned  anything  of  human  sciences,  could  reply 
so  prudently.  Although  the  king,  the  archbishop  of  Reims,  and  the  two 
counsellors  affirmed  than  Joan  had  given  them  an  indisputable  sign  of  her 
mission,  the  learned  assembly  did  not  choose  to  rely  upon  their  word  for 
it,  and  a  Carmelite  said  very  contemptuously  that  since  Joan  had  given 
one  sign,  it  would  not  cost  her  much  more  to  give  two. 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  31 

"  I  will  do  it,"  replied  Joan,  "  and  the  sign  that  I  will  give  you  will  be 
the  raising  of  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  the  coronation  of  the  king  at 
Reims.  Give  me  soldiers,  however  few  in  numbers,  and  come  with  me, 
and  you  shall  have  two  signs  instead  of  one." 

"  But,"  said  a  doctor  in  theology,  "  if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  God  that  the 
English  should  be  driven  from  France,  God  has  no  need  of  soldiers  to 
operate  this  miracle,  for  if  he  but  wills  it,  he  can  destroy  them  from  first  to 
last." 

"  The  soldiers  will  fight,"  replied  Joan,  "  and  God  will  give  the  vic- 
tory." 

•    "Pray,"  said  brother  Seguin  with  a  strong  Limosin  accent,  "tell  us, 
my  friend,  what  language  your  voices  speak  ?" 

"Better  than  your  language,"  replied  Joan.  Another  cited  to  her  books 
of  theology  which  said,  they  ought  not  to  believe  in  visions,  nor  in  those 
who  pretended  to  have  them. 

"Indeed,"  said  Joan,  "I  do  not  know  what  there  is  in  your  books,  but 
I  know  there  is  more  in  the  book  of  God  than  in  all  yours  put  together." 

At  Poitiers,  as  well  as  at  Chinon  and  Vaucouleurs,  her  daily  walk  was 
an  edifying  example  to  all  around  her.  She  lodged  in  the  hotel  of  John 
Rabateau,  whose  wife  was  a  good  worthy  woman,  to  whom  she  had  been 
given  in  charge,  and  as  Joan  passed  almost  all  her  time  in  prayers  and 
religious  exercises,  the  brave  hostess  went  about  saying  she  had  never 
seen  such  a  prudent,  pious  girl  as  the  one  who  was  lodging  in  her  house. 

Those  who  came  to  see  her,  after  they  had  conversed  with  her,  went 
away  saying  that  she  was  truly  a  being  from  God,  and  that  her  words 
were  as  true  as  the  gospel ;  in  fine,  "  the  voice  of  the  people,"  which  this 
time  they  might  truly  call  "  the  voice  of  God,"  reached  the  doctors  them- 
selves, who,  with  all  their  subtleties,  had  not  been  able  to  make  Joan  fall 
into  any  contradiction  or  heresy,  and  were  obliged,  at  length,  to  declare 
unanimously  that  it  was  expedient  to  trust  to  her  and  to  endeavour  to  exe- 
cute what  she  proposed. 

The  king  joyfully  re-conducted  Joan  to  Chinon,  and  it  was  decided  that 
her  first  expedition  should  be  to  enter  the  town  of  Orleans  with  a  convoy 
of  provisions,  which  had  been  collected  at  Blois  for  fifteen  days,  and  of 
which  they  knew  the  good  and  loyal  city  of  Orleans  to  be  in  pressing 
need. 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE   CONVOY. 


DURING  their  absence,  the  Duke  of  Alengon  had  arrived  at  Chinon.  This 
Duke  had  been  a  prisoner  of  the  English  ever  since  the  battle  of  Verneuil, 


32  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

and  for  whose  ransom  they  demanded  the  sura  of  200,000  crowns,  part  of 
which  he  had  paid  in  ready  money,  leaving  seven  of  his  noblemen  as  hos- 
tages for  the  payment  of  the  remainder.  The  Duke  did  not  return  directly 
to  the  king  after  his  release,  but  occupied  himself  with  disposing  of  his  lands 
and  seigniory  of  Gougers,  from  the  sale  of  which  he  realized  140,000 
crowns  ;  appropriating  100,000  of  it  for  the  liberation  of  the  hostages,  he  had 
returned  to  devote  the  rest  to  the  prosecution  of  the  war. 

The  Duke  of  Alen$on  found  the  whole  town  of  Chinon  in  ecstacies ;  for 
the  report  had  spread  abroad  that  Joan  had  been  acknowledged  to  be  a  sainted 
virgin.  The  Duke,  though  not  participating  in  this  joy,  was  nevertheless  not 
entirely  insensible  to  it ;  the  moral  influence  of  the  inspired  maiden  had  al- 
ready commenced  its  operation,  and  every  one  spoke  of  marching  against  the 
English  with  as  much  animation  as  if  it  had  been  of  a  holiday  procession. 

The  Duke  had  so  strong  a  desire  to  avenge  upon  the  English  the  capti- 
vity he  had  endured,  that  any  means,  tending  directly  to  this  aim,  appeared 
to  him  excellent.  Thus  he  received  Joan,  if  not  with  entire  faith,  at  least 
with  a  great  show  of  confidence.  The  king,  after  having,  like  a  good  rela- 
tion, embraced  the  Duke  of  Alen^on,  knowing  his  great  impatience  to  return 
to  battle,  commanded  him  to  precede  Joan  to  Blois,  in  order  to  arrange  mat- 
ters so  that  the  convoy  might  be  ready  at  the  expiration  of  eight  days. 

The  Duke  set  off  immediately ;  the  Duchess,  who  had  been  with  her  hus- 
band scarcely  one  week,  wept  much  at  his  precipitate  departure ;  but  Joan 
comforted  her,  saying  :  "  In  the  name  of  God,  madam,  I  promise  to  restore 
your  husband,  to  you,  safe  and  sound."  The  Duchess,  who  was  a  pious 
woman,  consoled  herself  with  this  promise,  for  she  was  one  of  those  who 
believed  firmly  in  the  inspiration  of  Joan. 

When  the  Duke  of  Alen^on  was  gone,  they  immediately  commenced 
making  preparations  for  the  departure  of  Joan.  They  gave  her  all  the  ap- 
pointments appertaining  to  a  chief  of  war,  viz.  a  squire,  a  page,  two  heralds, 
and  a  chaplain.  The  name  of  the  squire  was  John  Daulon,  the  page,  Louis 
de  Comtes ;  the  heralds,  Guyenne  and  Ambleville,  and  lastly,  the  chaplain, 
brother  Pasquerel. 

This  being  arranged,  the  king  sent  her  a  complete  suit  of  armour ;  but 
Joan  returned  the  sword,  saying  that  the  one  she  was  to  use,  they  would 
find  upon  the  tomb  of  an  old  chevalier  in  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  church 
of  St.  Catharine  de  Fierbois.  They  asked  her  how  they  might  recognize 
this  sword  ;  she  replied  there  were  five  flower-de-luces  upon  the  blade  near 
the  hilt  by  which  it  might  be  distinguished.  They  asked  her  if  she  knew 
this  sword  from  having  seen  it ;  she  said  she  had  never  seen  it,  and  knew 
nothing  of  it,  except  that  her  voices  had  directed  her  to  use  that,  and  no 
other.  The  king's  armourer  was  sent  to  St.  Catharine  de  Fierbois,  and 
found  the  sword  according  to  Joan's  direction.  It  was  rubbed  and  bur- 
nished brightly,  and  Charles  VII.  had  a  beautiful  velvet  scabbard  made  for 
it,  all  wrought  in  flower-de-luces  of  gold. 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

It  was  now  about  the  end  of  April ;  there  was  no  more  time  to  be  lost, 
the  city  of  Orleans  being  supported  in  its  courage  and  fidelity  only  by  the 
expectation  of  this  miraculous  assistance.  The  king  bade  adieu  to  Joan, 
and  she  set  out  for  Blois,  accompanied  by  Marshal  Rayz,  La  Maison,  Laval, 
Poton,  La  Hire,  Ambroise  de  Lore,  Admiral  Ceilant,  and  nearly  three  hun- 
dred armed  men. 

Arriving  at  Blois,  she  was  forced  to  remain  there  some  days,  waiting  for 
recruits  ;  for,  although  Joan  constantly  repeated  that  it  was  immaterial  about 
the  number  of  soldiers,  the  other  chiefs  did  not  wish  to  continue  their  march 
with  so  slender  a  force.  Joan  was  then  obliged  to  sojourn  at  Blois  nearly 
a  week,  which  time  she  put  to  profit  by  getting  made  a  white  silk  banner, 
all  wrought  in  flower-de-luces  of  gold,  with  the  representation  of  our  Saviour 
in  the  middle,  holding  the  world  in  his  hand,  and  on  his  right  and  left,  two 
angels  on  their  knees  in  prayer ;  then  on  the  other  side  in  large  letters  were 
these  two  words,  "  Jhesas  Maria."  Besides  this  banner,  she  ordered  one 
something  similar  to  be  made  for  brother  Pasquerel,  her  chaplain,  which  he 
was  to  carry  in  marches,  festivals  and  processions.  The  two  standards  were 
then  consecrated  in  the  church  Saint  Sauveur  at  Blois.  This  was  not  all. 
During  her  stay  there,  Joan  dictated  a  letter  to  brother  Pasquerel,  which, 
not  knowing  how  to  write,  she  signed  with  a  cross.  This  letter  was  con- 
ceived in  these  terms,  and  we  copy  it  word  for  word  from  a  contempora- 
neous manuscript. 

"Jesus  Maria," 

"  King  of  England,  make  justice  to  the  King  of  heaven ;  restore  to  La  Pu- 
celle  the  keys  of  all  the  good  cities  you  have  seized :  she  is  come  from  God 
in  behalf  of  the  royal  blood,  and  is  ready  to  make  peace  if  you  will  do  justly; 
but  king  of  England  if  you  will  not  be  just,  and  restore  to  our  king  his  law- 
ful rights,  know  that  I  am  chief  of  war ;  in  whatever  place  I  overtake  your 
people  in  France,  I  will  drive  them  out  '  nolens  volens ;'  and  if  they  obey 
I  will  be  merciful,  but  if  not,  they  shall  know  that  La  Pucelle  comes  to  slay; 
and  I  promise  you  that  if  you  do  not  render  justice  I  will  make  greater 
havoc  than  has  been  seen  in  France  for  a  thousand  years.  La  Pucelle  is 
sent  from  the  King  of  heaven  to  dispute  with  you  every  inch  of  ground 
sword  to  sword ;  in  God  is  the  strength  of  La  Pucelle  and  her  soldiers.  You 
archers,  soldiers,  gentles  and  valiants  who  are  before  Orleans,  return  to 
your  own  country  ;  if  you  do  not,  remember  La  Pucelle.  Do  not  suppose 
you  hold  France  from  the  King  of  heaven,  the  son  of  the  blessed  Virgin 
Mary.  King  Charles,  to  whom  God  gave  it,  is  the  true  heir,  and  he  shall 
yet  enter  Paris  in  fine  company.  If  you  will  not  believe  the  words  of  God 
and  La  Pucelle,  in  whatever  place  we  find  you  we  will  make  most  woful 
havoc,  and  we  will  see  who  has  the  best  right,  God  or  you,  Duke  of  Bed- 
ford, self-styled  regent  of  the  kingdom  of  France. 

"  If  you  will  make  peace  send  your  reply  to  the  city  of  Orleans  ;  if  not, 

3 


34  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

remember  the  damages,  Duke  of  Bedford,  you  who  style  yourself  regent  of 
France,  for  the  king  of  England.  La  Pucelle  begs  you  will  not  destroy 
yourself.  If  you  will  not  render  justice,  La  Pucelle  will  lead  the  French  to 
perform  the  finest  feat  that  was  ever  accomplished  in  Christendom. 

"  Written  Tuesday  in  the  Passion  week." 

On  the  back  of  the  letter  was  this  superscription : 

"  Hear  the  news  of  God  and  La  Pucelle. 

"  To  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  who  styles  himself  regent  of  the  kingdom  of 
France,  for  the  king  of  England." 

This  letter  being  finished,  she  gave  it  to  Guyenne,  one  of  her  heralds, 
and  charged  htm  to  carry  it  to  the  chief  of  the  siege  of  Orleans. 

The  day  of  departure  at  length  arrived.  The  army,  during  the  week  it 
remained  at  Blois,  had  been  joined  by  Marshal  Saint-Severe,  Chevalier  de 
Gaucourt,  and  a  great  number  of  other  nobles,  who  had  hastened  thither 
upon  hearing  the  report  of  the  expedition  they  were  about  to  undertake,  so 
that  the  company,  as  it  was,  presented  quite  a  formidable  aspect.  As  to 
the  convoy,  it  was  very  considerable,  being  composed  of  vast  numbers  of 
cattle,  sheep,  and  swine,  and  a  great  many  carts  and  wagons  laden  with 
grain,  which  would  be  a  great  relief  to  the  poor  city,  if  it  could  only  gain 
admittance. 

At  the  moment  of  departure,  Joan  ordered  all  her  soldiers  to  confess  ;  this 
religious  duty  being  performed,  they  put  themselves  "  en  route"  for  Orleans. 

Before  setting  out,  the  chiefs  had  held  a  counsel  by  themselves.  Joan, 
always  confident  in  her  mission,  had  given  orders  to  follow  the  right  bank, 
upon  which  lay  the  whole  power  of  the  English,  saying  that  it  was  imma- 
terial about  their  numbers  or  position,  since  the  Lord  had  decided  that  the 
convoy  should  enter  the  town  unimpeded  by  any  obstacle.  But  whatever 
faith  the  chiefs  had  in  Joan,  they  thought,  to  act  thus  would  be  tempting 
Providence,  so  they  said  nothing  to  her,  permitting  her  to  believe  they  were 
following  her  directions,  but  they  took  the  left  bank,  where  they  only  risked 
the  danger  of  meeting  now  and  then  a  courier. 

At  length  the  convoy  was  fairly  under  way,  crossing  the  Sologne  instead 
of  the  Beauce ;  brother  Pasquerel  led  the  van,  bearing  aloft  his  banner,  and 
singing  hymns  with  the  other  priests  who  accompanied  the  army.  Joan 
followed,  riding  in  the  midst  of  the  chiefs,  whom  she  reprimanded  every 
moment  for  the  freedom  of  their  speech ;  she  frequently  rode  side  by  side 
by  La  Hire,  for  whom,  in  spite  of  his  eternal  oaths,  she  had  a  great  predi- 
lection. La  Hire  would  swear  sometimes  purposely  to  vex  her,  and  he 
would  persist  morning  and  evening  in  saying  the  same  prayer,  although  the 
young  girl  tried  much  to  make  him  change  it.  The  prayer  was  this  :  "Good 
God !  do  for  La  Hire  as  La  Hire  would  do  for  you,  if  he  were  the  good 
God  and  you  were  La  Hire."  As  for  Joan,  her  deportment  and  conversa- 
tion were  so  exemplary  as  finally  to  produce  an  imposing  effect  even  upon 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  35 

the  soldiers,  who  at  first  had  either  ridiculed  or  murmured  at  the  idea  of 
being  commanded  by  a  poor  peasant  girl,  accustomed,  as  they  had  been,  to 
march  under  the  conduct  of  the  bravest  and  noblest  chevaliers. 

On  the  third  day  they  arrived  at  Orleans,  and  not  till  then  did  Joan  dis- 
cover that  they  had  deceived  her,  for  she  then  saw  that  the  river  lay  between 
her  and  the  town.  She  was  much  vexed  at  this  deception,  and  would  have 
been  very  angry  if  the  fear  of  sinning  had  not  restrained  her :  however,  she 
concluded  to  draw  what  advantage  she  could  from  her  position,  and  as  some 
English  people,  on  their  approach,  had  fled  from  their  villa  in  terror,  Joan 
gave  orders  to  take  possession  of  it,  which  was  easily  executed,  without 
any  resistance.  At  the  same  time,  the  Bastard  of  Orleans,  who  had  been 
apprised  of  the  arrival  of  the  convoy,  had  just  landed  upon  the  left  bank, 
from  a  small  boat.  When  Joan  heard  it,  she  hastened  to  the  place  pointed 
out  to  her,  and  there  she  saw  the  Bastard  of  Orleans  in  the  midst  of  the 
chiefs,  gaily  welcoming  each  one,  and  consulting  upon  the  best  means  of 
conveying  the  convoy  into  town. 

"  Are  you  the  Bastard  of  Orleans  ?"  demanded  Joan,  advancing  towards 
him. 

"  I  am,"  replied  he,  "  and  your  arrival  gives  me  great  pleasure." 

"  Was  it  you,"  continued  Joan,  "  who  gave  advice  to  cross  the  Sologne 
instead  of  the  Beauce." 

"  I  did  give  that  advice,  because  it  was  not  only  mine,  but  that  of  the 
most  experienced  captains." 

"  Well,  it  was  wrong,"  said  Joan,  "  for  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High  is 
wiser  than  that  of  men,  and  if  we  had  followed  his  counsel  we  should  now 
be  in  Orleans,  while,  as  it  is,  we  have  the  river  yet  to  cross." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Bastard,  "  there  is  one  way  of  crossing  the  river 
without  being  molested,  that  is  first  go  up  the  river  as  far  as  Castle  Checy, 
which  is  about  two  leagues  above,  and  where  there  is  a  French  garrison : 
the  boats  from  Orleans  will  go  up  at  the  same  time,  and  we  can  have  them 
laden  there  under  the  protection  of  the  fortress." 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  let  us  do  so,"  replied  Joan,  and  she  was  the  first 
to  move  forward,  although  she  had  been  heavily  clad  in  armour  and  mounted 
on  horseback  since  early  in  the  morning.  The  Bastard  of  Orleans,  on  his 
part,  returned  to  the  town  to  direct  in  person  the  vessels  which  were  to 
ascend  the  river  to  Castle  Checy. 

The  convoy  again  set  forward,  and  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
arrived  at  Castle  Checy ;  but  the  sky  had  been  overcast  for  an  hour,  and  the 
rain  began  to  pour  in  torrents ;  the  wind  blew  from  the  east  so  violently  that 
it  was  not  possible  for  the  boats  to  ascend  against  the  strong  current  of  the 
river,  and  every  thing  wore  a  discouraging  aspect. 

Joan,  perceiving  the  effect  it  had  upon  her  escort,  turning  to  the  chiefs 
she  said : 

"  Did  I  not  assure  you  that  it  was  the  will  of  the  Most  High  that  we 


36  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

should  convey  our  provisions  into  Orleans  at  our  ease,  and  that  the  English 
would  not  even  attempt  to  prevent  us  ?" 

"  Very  true,  you  did  assure  us  of  that,"  replied  the  Duke  of  Alen$on, 
"but  this  is  not  a  proper  time  to  recall  to  us  that  promise." 

"  In  the  name  of  God,  have  patience  then,"  said  Joan,  "  for  the  wind  will 
change  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

Saying  these  words,  Joan  dismounted  from  her  horse,  and  retiring  a  few 
steps,  she  kneeled  down  and  began  to  pray  with  her  accustomed  faith  and 
ardour,  and,  in  fact,  before  she  had  finished  her  prayer,  the  wind  changed 
round  from  east  to  west :  the  soldiers  looked  at  each  other,  and  could 
scarcely  believe  their  own  eyes  ;  to  doubt  any  longer  was  impossible,  the 
predictions  of  Joan  had  been  verified,  and  the  most  incredulous  were  then 
convinced. 

About  an  hour  after,  the  boats  came  gliding  up  as  lightly  as  if  propelled 
by  the  hand  of  God  :  in  the  first  boat  was  the  Bastard  of  Orleans  with  seve- 
ral other  armed  noblemen,  and  the  principal  citizens  of  the  town.  After 
depositing  the  grain,  cattle,  and  ammunitions  upon  the  boats,  they  had  only 
to  abandon  them  to  the  current  of  the  stream  ;  during  this  time  the  garrison 
made  a  sortie,  and  occupied  the  English  on  the  right  bank,  so  that  nothing 
prevented  the  convoy  from  directly  reaching  its  destination.  In  the  last 
boat  came  Joan,  between  Count  Dunois  and  La  Hire  ;  two  hundred  lancers 
followed  them,  whilst  the  rest  of  the  company  returned  to  Blois  to  prepare 
a  second  convoy. 

The  whole  population,  being  apprised  by  Dunois,  had  assembled  upon 
the  shore  to  welcome  the  arrival  of  Joan ;  when  the  young  girl  set  foot  upon 
land,  a  superb  milk-white  steed,  magnificently  caparisoned,  was  led  before 
her,  upon  which  she  mounted,  and  at  the  head  of  the  admiring  multitude, 
she  made  her  triumphal  entree  into  Orleans;  the  inhabitants,  anticipating 
her  brilliant  future  career,  regarded  her  already  as  their  liberatress. 

Joan  repaired  first  to  the  church,  where  they  all  chanted  the  Te  Deum, 
after  which  she  alighted  at  the  mansion  of  the  treasurer  of  the  Duke  of  Or- 
leans :  he  was  a  brave  man,  named  Jacques  Boucher,  very  much  devoted 
to  his  master,  from  whom  he  had  asked  and  obtained  the  favour  of  enter- 
taining Joan  as  his  guest.  It  was  not  until  then,  that  she  disarmed  herself, 
and  asked  for  a  little  wine ;  they  brought  her  a  silver  cup,  partly  filled  with 
wine,  to  which  she  added  as  much  water,  and  taking  a  slice  or  two  of  bread, 
she  desired  nothing  more  for  her  supper.  When  she  had  finished  her  sim- 
ple repast,  she  retired  immediately  to  her  chamber,  attended  by  the  wife  and 
daughter  of  her  host ;  the  daughter,  at  Joan's  request,  stayed  with  her,  and 
shared  her  bed. 

Thus,  Joan  of  Arc  made  her  entree  into  the  city  of  Orleans,  the  29th  of 
April,  1429,  and  (as  the  chronicle  of  the  siege  relates)  in  the  midst  of  as 
wild  enthusiasm  among  the  citizens  and  soldiers  as  if  an  angel  from  God 
had  descended  amongst  them.  '. 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.         f  37 

f 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   SIEGE   OF    ORLEANS. 

THE  entrance  of  Joan  into  Orleans  did  not  operate  with  a  less  extraordi- 
nary influence  upon  the  minds  of  the  besiegers  than  the  besieged :  only 
with  this  difference,  that  to  the  latter  her  presence  brought  comfort,  and 
to  the  former  disquietude.  The  English  laughed  heartily  when  they  first 
heard  that  a  woman  had  presented  herself  to  Charles  VII.,  saying  she  had 
a  mission  to  drive  them  out  of  France ;  but  afterwards  the  report  was  cir- 
culated that  this  woman  was  truly  inspired.  They  spoke  of  miracles 
wrought  by  her;  and,  let  us  recollect,  that  this  was  an  era  of  credulity  and 
superstition,  when  the  most  extraordinary  things  easily  gained  credence, 
whether  they  were  performed  in  the  name  of  God  or  of  Satan.  However 
this  may  be,  Joan  had  said  that  the  convoy  should  enter  unmolested  into 
Orleans,  and  twice,  once  in  ascending  and  once  in  descending  the  Loire, 
the  convoy  had  actually  passed  within  bow-shot  of  the  bastions  of  the 
English,  without  either  of  them  making  the  slightest  attempt  to  oppose 
their  passage  ;  thus  the  first  prophecy  of  La  Pucelle  had  been  fully  accom- 
plished ;  and  there  was,  as  we  have  said,  much  apprehension  and  disquie- 
tude in  the  English  army. 

Whether  Joan  divined  the  effect  that  she  had  produced,  or  whether  the 
inspiration  of  God  urged  her  to  pursue  the  course  she  had  decided  upon, 
at  all  events,  she  was  determined  to  attack  the  works  of  the  English  the 
day  after  her  arrival ;  but  Count  Dunois,  the  Seigneur  of  Gamache,  and 
several  other  brave  captains,  whose  names  alone  are  sufficient  to  indicate 
that  it  was  not  through  fear  they  opposed  her  project,  were  of  a  different 
opinion.  Joan,  who  believed  the  king  had  given  her  the  chief  command 
of  the  army,  insisted  with  all  the  obstinacy  of  conscious  superiority,  and  in 
fact  she  was  very  near  losing  her  temper,  when  Gamache,  irritated  by  her 
tone  of  command,  which  he  thought  humiliating  coining  from  a  woman, 
arose  and  addressed  himself  to  La  Hire  and  to  Chevalier  D'llliers,  whom 
Joan  had  persuaded  into  her  measures. 

"  Since  you  prefer,"  said  he,  "  to  listen  to  the  advice  of  a  silly  peasant 
girl,  rather  than  to  that  of  a  Chevalier  like  myself,  I  will  waste  no  more 
words  on  the  subject,  but  in  proper  time  and  place  my  good  sword  shall 
speak  for  me.  At  present  it  is  due  to  my  king  and  to  my  honour  to  re- 
nounce my  banner,  and  to  regard  myself  only  as  a  simple  squire.  I  prefer 
for  my  master  a  nobleman,  and  not  a  girl  who  may  have  been — I  know 
not  what."  And  at  these  words,  folding  his  banner,  he  resigned  it  into 
the  hands  of  Count  Dunois. 

DuiioJs  was,  as  we  have  said,  of  a  different  opinion  from  Joan  ;  it  is 


38 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 


probable  that  he  himself  had  no  great  faith  in  her,  but  he  comprehended 
the  advantage  that  might  be  drawn  from  the  faith  with  which  she  inspired 
others;  thus  he  immediately  interposed  between  Joan  and  Gamache,  say- 
ing to  the  latter,  that  of  course  he  was  free  to  combat  when  and  how  he 
chose,  and  that  he  was  one  of  that  class  who  had  no  orders  to  receive  ex- 
cept from  God  and  the  king  ;  saying  also  to  Joan,  that  it  was  only  a  slight 
delay,  and  that  they  would  commence  the  attack  as  soon  as  the  reinforce- 
ment, which  he  expected  from  Blois,  should  arrive.  In  short,  he  man- 
aged so  well  that  Joan  and  Gamache  extended  to  each  other  the  hand,  not 
very  cordially  to  be  sure,  but  the  ceremony  of  good  will  was  performed, 
which  was  all  Dunois  desired,  hoping  that  this  misintelligence  would  be 
dispelled  upon  the  field  of  battle. 

What  especially  pacified  Joan,  was  the  promise  that  Dunois  had  made 
to  her,  that  he  would  depart  in  person  the  next  day  for  Blois,  in  order  to 
hasten  the  arrival  of  the  reinforcement:  Joan  meantime  wishing  to  employ 
profitably  her  leisure,  dictated  a  second  letter  addressed  to  the  English 
chiefs,  which  comprised  pretty  much  the  same  sum  and  substance  as  the 
first  ;  then,  when  the  letter  was  written  and  signed  with  her  cross,  she 
summoned  Ambleville,  her  second  herald,  and  ordered  him  to  carry  it  to 
the  Count  of  Suffolk.  Ambleville  appeared  very  reluctant,  and  observed 
to  Joan  that  Guyenne,  the  bearer  of  her  first  letter,  had  not  yet  returned, 
and  that  the  English,  contrary  to  the  rights  of  nations,  had  retained  him 
prisoner,  and  threatened  to  burn  him  as  a  heretic;  but  Joan  endeavoured 
to  remove  his  fears. 

"In  the  name  of  God,"  said  she,  with  her  usual  confidence,  "  depart  in 
all  safety,  for  they  will  do  no  harm,  either  to  you  or  to  him  ;  futhermore, 
be  assured  that  you  will  bring  back  your  companion  with  you,  and  say  to 
Talbot  that  if  he  arms  himself,  I  will  arm  myself  also,  and  if  he  can  take 
me,  he  is  at  liberty  to  have  me  burned  ;  but  if  I  defeat  him,  the  revenge  I 
shall  take  will  be,  to  make  him  return  to  his  own  country  with  the 
English." 

All  this,  however,  only  partially  reassured  poor  Ambleville,  but  Count 
Dunois  gave  him  a  letter  to  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  in  which  he  announced 
to  the  English  general  that  the  life  of  all  the  prisoners,  as  well  as  of  the 
heralds  sent  to  treat  upon  ransoms,  should  answer  for  the  lives  of  the  two 
armed  messengers  of  La  Pucelle:  in  effect,  as  Joan  had  predicted,  Amble- 
ville and  Guyenne  were  both  sent  back  the  same  evening,  but  without 
bringing  any  reply  from  the  English  chiefs  to  Joan's  two  letters. 

The  next  day,  after  having,  with  La  Hire  and  a  good  part  of  the  garrison, 
escorted  the  Count  of  Dunois  —  who  was  on  his  way  to  Blois  —  about  a 
league  beyond  the  town,  Joan  wished  to  repeat  with  a  loud  voice  to  the 
English  what  she  had  already  written  to  them.  Accordingly  she  mounted 
upon  one  of  the  bulwarks  of  the  besieged,  which  was  opposite  the  English 
bastion  of  the  Turrets,  and  openly  approaching  them  within  the  distance  of 


JOAN,   THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN.  39 

• 

sixty  paces,  she  ordered  them,  under  pain  of  misery  and  shame,  to  with- 
draw not  only  from  the  town  but  from  the  kingdom.  But  instead  of 
obtemperating  this  requisition,  Sir  William  Gladsdale,  and  the  Bastard  of 
Granville,  who  commanded  the  bastion  of  the  Turrets,  replied  to  Joan  only 
by  gross  insults,  telling  her  she  had  better  go  back  home  and  tend  cows, 
and  abusing  the  French  as  heretics  and  miscreants.  Joan  listened  patiently 
enough  to  all  the  injuries  that  were  personal,  gross  as  they  were;  but 
when  she  heard  them  insult  the  French : 

"  You  lie,"  cried  she,  "and  since  you  will  not  go  away  peaceably,  you 
shall  be  driven  away  by  force ;  but  those  of  you  who  insult  me  will  never 
live  to  take  their  departure." 

Meantime  Dunois,  accompanied  by  Rayz  and  Lore,  drew  towards  Blois, 
where  they  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  next  day.  They  presented  them- 
selves to  the  counsel  of  the  king,  to  show  the  great  necessity  that  the  town 
had  of  a  new  convoy  of  provisions  and  a  new  reinforcement  of  men  ;  both 
were  granted  to  them,  and  this  time  they  decided  to  cross  the  Beauce 
instead  of  the  Sologne,  and  that  in  defiance  of  the  English;  for  since  the 
happy  success  of  Joan,  the  French  army  had  so  much  renewed  their  cour- 
age that,  says  the  chronicle  of  La  Pucelle,  whereas,  before  her  arrival,  two 
hundred  English  were  sufficient  in  their  skirmishes  to  put  to  flight  four 
hundred  French,  the  case  was  now  reversed,  and  two  hundred  French 
were  sufficient  for  twice  that  number  of  English. 

They  made  such  diligence  in  collecting  provisions  and  soldiers,  that  on 
the  third  day  of  May  the  second  convoy  was  in  complete  readiness.  They 
started  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  same  evening  slept  half 
way  between  Blois  and  Orleans  at  a  village  which  the  chronicler  does  not 
name,  but  which  must  have  been  Beaugency  or  Saint  Ay.  On  the 
fourth  they  continued  their  march  towards  the  town,  determined  to  force 
the  passage,  although  if  they  had  come  to  blows,  the  English  would  have 
been  more  than  three  against  one  ;  but  as  the  Bastard  arrived  in  sight  of 
the  town,  he  descried  La  Pucelle,  with  La  Hire  and  most  of  the  other  cap- 
tains, coming  to  meet  him,  in  fine  array  with  all  their  banners  waving 
gaily  in  the  air.  Soon  the  two  troops  joined,  and  thus  united  they  passed 
before  the  English,  who  dared  not  sally  out  upon  them,  and  thus  they 
allowed  the  second  convoy  to  pass  with  as  little  opposition  as  the  first. 

Dunois  found  the  garrison  reinforced  by  a  great  number  of  armed  men, 
who  had  arrived  the  day  before  from  Montargis,  Gien,  Chateau-Renard, 
from  the  region  of  Gatinois  and  from  Chateaudun,  so  that  it  was  agreed 
between  him  and  Joan,  that  on  the  next  day  they  would  undertake  an 
offensive  attack. 

Joan  was  very  much  fatigued ;  for  the  two  preceding  days  she  had 
received  visits  from  nearly  all  the  principal  persons  of  the  town,  and  had 
even  been  into  the  streets  to  show  herself  to  the  people,  and  the  night 
before,  she  had  kept  herself  awake  and  armed  all  night  long,  for  fear  if  she 


40  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

was  disarmed  that  the  Bastard  would  return  and  she  would  not  be  able  to 
arm  herself  in  time  to  render  him  any  assistance;  but  now,  confiding  in 
the  promise  that  Dunois  had  made  her  to  commence  the  attack  the  next 
day,  she  caused  her  armour  to  be  taken  off,  and  throwing  herself  dressed 
upon  her  bed  she  fell  asleep. 

Meantime  some  notables  of  the  town,  seeing  the  garrison  so  much  re- 
lieved by  the  presence  of  Joan  and  the  arrival  of  the  provisions,  availed 
themselves  of  this  moment  of  reaction  to  enlist  in  their  train  a  great  num- 
ber of  common  archers,  in  order  to  make  a  sortie ;  this  sudden  and  unex- 
pected attack  was  directed  against  the  bastion  of  Saint  Loup,  one  of  the 
strongest  and  best  defended  of  the  English  strong-holds,  commanded  by  a 
valiant  captain  named  Guerrard,  and  completely  furnished  with  soldiers 
and  ammunitions.  Thus  the  French  were  vigorously  received  ;  but  as  in 
their  enthusiasm  they  had  become  imbued  with  an  extraordinary  courage, 
they  rushed  upon  the  walls  with  the  greatest  fury,  rendering  blow  for 
blow,  death  for  death,  so  that  the  combat  on  both  sides  was  kept  up  with 
greater  carnage  than  had  been  seen  since  the  commencement  of  the  siege. 

AH  at  once  Joan,  who  had  been  sleeping  upon  her  bed  for  about  an 
hour,  sprang  up,  wildly  crying  out: 

"  Holla,  my  squire  !  Holla,  Daulon  !  make  haste  hither  !" 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  cried  Daulon  rushing  into  her  room. 

"  Why,"  exclaimed  Joan,  seizing  her  helmet,  "  the  French  at  this  mo- 
ment are  in  mortal  combat  before  a  bastion,  and  I  must  make  haste  and 
arm  myself,  for  there  are  already  many  killed  and  wounded." 

As  Daulon  was  putting  on  her  armour,  she  kept  crying  out:  "My 
horse  !  my  horse  !"  But  Daulon  could  not  arm  her  and  go  for  her  horse 
at  the  same  time  :  so  when  he  had  finished  the  buckling  of  her  cuirass,  he 
turned  to  go  out;  but  Joan  arrested  him. 

"  Stay,  stay  !"  said  she  ;  "  finish  arming  yourself,  and  then  follow  me 
as  quick  as  possible  ;  I  will  go  for  my  horse  myself." 

Then  she  took  a  small  battle-axe  in  her  hand,  and  hurried  off  so  fast 
that  she  forgot  her  banner  which  was  in  her  chamber.  Upon  the  stairs 
she  met  her  hostess. 

"  My  God  !"  said  Joan  to  her,  "  the  blood  of  our  people  flows  over  the 
ground,  and  you  did  not  waken  me ;  you  have  done  very  wrong."  Then 
she  hurried  on,  shouting:  "My  horse  !  my  horse  !" 

She  found  her  page  at  the  door  playing. 

"Ah !  wicked  boy  !"  cried  she,  "  why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  the 
English  were  spilling  the  blood  of  the  French  ?  Go  quick,  my  horse  !  my 
horse !" 

Whilst  Imerget,  her  page,  ran  to  the  stable,  she  perceived  that  she  had 
not  her  banner,  and  calling  out  to  Daulon,  he  handed  it  to  her  through  the 
window.  Joan  spread  it.  At  that  moment  her  horse  was  led  to  her,  and 
notwithstanding  the  weight  of  her  armour  the  young  Amazon  mounted 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 


him  with  as  much  ease  as  the  most  accomplished  chevalier;  and  without 
asking  on  which  side  the  bastion  of  Saint  Loup  was,  she  put  spurs  to  her 
horse,  crossing  the  streets  upon  a  full  gallop,  the  fire  flashing  from  the 
pavement  at  every  step  of  her  noble  courser.  As  she  arrived  at  the  gate 
of  Burgundy,  she  met  a  wounded  man  whom  they  were  carrying  back  to 
the  city ;  she  stopped  her  horse,  and  as  she  looked  at  the  poor  unfortunate 
fellow,  two  tears  stole  down  her  cheeks  ;  then,  shaking  her  head :  "Alas !" 
said  she,  "  I  have  never  looked  upon  the  blood  of  a  Frenchman,  without 
my  veins  being  frozen  with  horror!"  But  soon  the  sound  of  approaching 
arms,  and  the  cries  of  the  flying  reminded  Joan  that  it  was  no  time  to  yield 
to  tender  emotions  :  she  dashed  through  the  gate-way,  and  saw  the  French 
returning  in  great  disorder,  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy.  Then  she  rushed 
on  with  great  rapidity,  raising  her  banner  and  shouting :  "  Courage  !  cour- 
age !  here  comes  La  Pucelle,  here  comes  the  daughter  of  God!"  and  with- 
out regarding  whether  she  was  followed  or  not,  she  plunged  into  the 
midst  of  the  English. 

This  apparition  produced  a  double  effect :  it  inspired  the  French  with 
courage,  and  the  English  with  terror ;  the  result  of  it  was,  that  the  ranks 
of  the  besiegers  hesitated  a  moment,  which  time  Joan  put  to  profit  by  ral- 
lying the  discomfited  party  to  her  standard.  At  the  sound  of  her  voice 
they  returned  to  the  charge.  Just  at  that  time  Daulon  and  four  or  five 
other  brave  captains  appeared  at  the  gate  of  Burgundy,  hastening  with 
their  armed  men  to  the  assistance  of  Joan.  Each  one  did  his  utmost  in 
pursuit  of  the  English,  remarking  with  surprise,  that  since  the  arrival  of 
Joan  not  one  of  the  French  had  been  wounded,  but  on  the  contrary  every 
blow  they  dealt  seemed  to  be  mortal.  The  English  repulsed,  in  their 
turn  took  to  flight,  but  they  were  so  hotly  pursued  by  the  French  that  they 
all  entered  pell-mell  into  the  bastion,  and  the  next  moment  Joan's  banner 
was  waving  triumphantly  from  the  top  of  the  wall. 

Then  Talbot,  who  commanded  the  bastion  Saint  Laurent,  essayed  to  go 
to  the  relief  of  his  companions  of  the  bastion  Saint  Loup ;  but  the  Count 
of  Dunois,  followed  by  Chevalier  Graville,  Marshal  Boussac,  Baron  Cou- 
longe,  and  a  part  of  the  garrison,  having  anticipated  this  movement,  placed 
themselves  between  the  English  and  the  attacked  bastion,  offering  them 
battle,  which,  for  a  long  time  before,  the  French  had  not  dared  to  do. 
However,  it  was  now  the  turn  of  the  English  to  decline  the  combat,  so  that 
La  Pucelle  could  give  undivided  attention  to  the  achievement  of  her  victory. 

The  bastion  being  taken,  they  found  they  had  accomplished  but  half  their 
task.  This  fortress  had  been  made  of  a  church  on  account  of  its  thick 
walls;  so  that  the  English  took  refuge  in  the  belfry,  of  which  they  made 
a  second  citadel ;  but  the  French  pursued  them  there  with  great  fury  ; 
many  were  slain  in  the  stair-cases,  many  precipitated  from  the  top  to  the 
bottom ;  so  that  about  two  hundred  men  perished,  and  the  few  English 
that  were  saved  were  those  who  having  found  in  the  vestry  room  some 


42  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

priests'  costumes,  endeavoured  to  fly  under  this  disguise  ;  but  the  fury  of 
the  French  was  such,  that  they  were  going  to  put  them  to  death  without 
mercy,  when  Joan,  in  honour  of  the  priestly  robes  which  covered  them, 
ordered  her  men  to  desist,  and  to  lead  them  to  town  as  prisoners  of  war. 

As  to  the  bastion,  in  order  that  it  might  not  again  serve  as  a  rampart  for 
the  English,  after  the  provisions  and  ammunitions  contained  in  it  were 
withdrawn,  it  was  burnt  and  demolished. 

La  Pucelle  entered  Orleans  with  the  other  chiefs,  but  none  could  deny 
but  that  to  her  belonged  all  the  glory  of  the  victory  :  she  had  been  mira- 
culously warned  by  her  voices  ;  she  had  found  the  way  to  the  bastion  of 
Saint  Loup,  unaided  by  any  human  direction,  and  when  there,  by  her 
presence  alone,  without  doing  any  thing  more  than  to  set  an  example  of 
courage  by  marching  boldly  forward,  she  had  been  able  to  change  a  defeat 
into  a  complete  victory:  also  as  she  returned,  on  her  entrance  to  the  town, 
all  the  bells  rang  as  if  vibrated  by  invisible  hands,  and  the  English,  from 
their  camp,  could  hear  this  exulting  sound,  which  celebrated  the  first  tri- 
umph of  her  whom  they  had  treated  as  a  cow-herd  and  a  sorceress. 

In  the  evening  Joan  entered  the  council  and  demanded  that  there  should 
no  respite  be  given  to  the  English,  and  that  profiting  by  the  confusion  into 
which  they  had  been  thrown,  the  attack  should  be  renewed  the  following 
day.  But  the  chiefs  observed  to  Joan  that  the  next  day  was  a  grand  holy- 
day,  and  that  in  honour  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  it  ought  to  be  spent  in 
prayer;  Joan  yielded  very  reluctantly,  saying  that  the  best  way  to  pray  to 
God  was  to  obey  him,  and  that  God  had  commanded  her  to  continue 
the  combat  the  next  day;  but  as  she  perceived  that  the  universal  opinion 
was  contrary  to  hers,  she  decided  that  she  would  avail  herself  of  this  day 
of  repose  to  summon  once  more  the  English  to  surrender. 

Accordingly  she  repaired  to  a  bridge  which  was  two-thirds  broken 
away,  and  in  front  of  a  strong  bastion  commanded  by  Gladsdale,  and  stand- 
ing upon  the  end  of  this  bridge  she  fastened  a  third  copy  of  her  letter  to  an 
arrow,  and  ordered  an  archer  to  hurl  it  into  the  enemy's  retrenchment ;  the 
archer  sped  the  arrow  into  the  midst  of  the  English,  Joan  at  the  same  time 
shouting :  "  Read  !  Read  !"  But  instead  of  reading  they  took  the  letter  and 
tore  it  up.  Then  Joan  cried  out:  "  In  the  name  of  God,  I  tell  you  that 
you  are  doing  wrong,  for  it  is  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  you  should  abandon 
the  siege,  and  leave  the  country."  But  the  English,  as  at  first,  only  replied 
by  insults  so  gross  and  offensive  that  Joan  coiild  not  help  crying,  and 
raising  her  hands  to  heaven  :  "  Oh  !"  cried  she,  "  wicked  people  that  you 
are,  God  knows  that  all  the  things  you  have  said  are  only  base  false- 
hoods !"  Then  gazing  fixedly  towards  heaven,  her  countenance  suddenly 
changed,  the  tears  rested  upon  her  cheeks,  and  a  sweet  smile  played  upon 
her  lips :  "  God  be  praised  !"  said  she,  turning  to  two  or  three  officers  who 
had  accompanied  her,  "I  have  just  had  news  from  my  Lord  in  heaven !" 

During  the  absence  of  Joan,  and  perhaps  purposely  to  profit  by  it,  the 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  43 

chiefs  had  assembled  in  council,  and  had  decided  that  the  next  day  they 
would  feign  to  attack  the  bastions  on  the  right,  and  when  the  English  should 
be  unprepared,  to  attack  them  on  the  left  bank.  Just  as  this  decision  had 
been  made,  Joan  returned ;  Dunois  sent  for  her,  and  told  her,  that  according 
to  her  desire  they  would  march  the  next  day  against  the  bastions  on  the  west. 
But  Joan  shook  her  head.  "  The  truth  is  this,  my  brave  captains,"  said 
she,  "  you  think  you  ought  not  to  tell  me  all,  supposing  that  I  cannot  keep  a 
secret,  because  I  atn  a  woman  ;  however,  I  know  all  your  decisions,  and  you 
need  have  no  fears  but  that  I  can  keep  a  secret  when  it  is  necessary." 

Seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  conceal  anything  from  this  extra- 
ordinary woman,  the  Bastard  of  Orleans,  who  was  one  of  her  warmest 
friends,  related  to  her  the  determination  they  had  taken,  and  asked  her  if 
it  met  with  her  approval.  Joan  replied  that  she  thought  the  project  was  a 
very  good  one.  Then  she  forbade  any  soldier's  marching  to  battle  the  next 
day  without  first  confessing,  and  she  gave  the  example  herself  by  confessing 
and  communing.  The  next  morning,  at  break  of  day,  Joan  and  the  princi- 
pal chiefs  assembled  the  troops  which  had  been  designed  for  the  expedition 
across  the  Loire ;  as  there  was  in  the  city  a  great  number  of  boats  which 
had  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  Gaucourt,  the  governor  of  the  town,  Joan 
passed  over  with  La  Hire  to  a  small  island  which  was  near  the  left  bank ; 
with  two  boats  they  made  a  bridge  by  which  they  could  easily  gain  the 
shore  from  the  island ;  then  the  soldiers  got  into  the  remaining  boats  and 
crossed  over  from  the  right  bank  to  the  island,  and  from  the  island  to  the 
left  bank. 

All  these  precautions  had  been  taken  because  they  expected  the  English 
would  have  opposed  their  landing ;  but  instead  of  which,  they  abandoned 
the  first  bastion  and  burned  it,  so  as  to  render  it  useless  to  the  French,  and 
then  retreated  to  the  second,  which  was  that  of  the  Augustins,  having  bul- 
warks and  turrets.  Emboldened  by  this  retreat,  Joan  passed  over  to  the 
shore  with  only  fifty  men  ;  for  only  the  foreguard  had  arrived,  and  the  other 
troops  were  occupied  in  crossing  from  the  right  bank  to  the  island,  which 
they  could  do  but  slowly  on  account  of  the  small  number  of  boats. 

But  Joan  calculated  neither  the  number  of  her  own  men,  nor  of  those 
against  whom  she  combated ;  she  was  urged  on  by  the  power  of  God,  and 
the  ordinary  calculations  of  men  were  nothing  to  her;  she  marched  straight 
to  the  bulwark,  and  planted  her  banner  within  a  half  bow  shot  of  the  walls; 
then  returning,  she  summoned  the  fifty  or  sixty  men  who  had  followed.  At 
that  moment  a  cry  arose  that  the  English  were  advancing  in  great  numbers 
from  the  direction  of  Saint  Rive ;  at  this  cry,  the  armed  men  who  accompa- 
nied La  Pucelle,  and  who  were  mostly  common  soldiers,  took  fright  and 
fled  straight  to  the  passage  of  the  Loire :  about  fifteen  men,  however,  re- 
mained near  Joan,  and  with  this  small  number  she  also  slowly  retreated. 
As  soon  as  the  English  saw  her  beat  a  retreat,  they  issued  in  great  numbers 
from  the  bastion  Saint  Augustin,  and  pursued  her  with  derisive  shouts,  and 


44  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

such  abusive  language,  that,  few  men  as  she  had,  Joan  faced  about  and  fell 
upon  the  English ;  then  God,  in  order  to  display  in  all  its  force  the  celestial 
mission  of  the  inspired  maiden,  put  fear  into  the  heart  of  all  that  multitude, 
who  fled  before  her  standard  like  a  flock  of  sheep  before  the  shepherd's 
crook.  Joan  pursued  them  to  the  bulwarks,  followed  not  only  by  the  fifteen 
men  who  had  remained  faithful  to  her,  and  by  the  fifty  men  who  had  fled 
at  first,  and  rallied  afterwards,  but  also  by  all  those  who  had  crossed  from 
the  right  bank  to  the  island,  and  who,  seeing  La  Pucelle  engaged  with  the 
enemy,  hastened  to  her  assistance.  La  Pucelle  then  suddenly  found  her- 
self at  the  head  of  a  considerable  force,  which  was  soon  further  augmented 
by  the  arrival  of  the  rear-guard  led  by  Chevalier  Retz.  Then  Joan  marched 
directly  to  the  palisades,  and  a  Spaniard,  named  Seigneur  de  Partada,  and 
Seigneur  Daulon  made  an  opening,  through  which  Joan  passed,  and  imme- 
diately her  banner  was  seen  floating  above  the  pickets.  Every  one  then 
rushed  through  the  passage,  which  soon  became  an  enormous  breach ;  the 
English  strove  to  resist,  but  no  human  courage  could  withstand  the  force  of 
men  animated  by  the  wrath  of  God.  In  an  instant  the  bastion  of  the  Au- 
gustins  was  taken,  and  for  fear  that  her  people  would  occupy  themselves 
with  pillage,  and  thus  offer  to  the  enemy  an  occasion  for  taking  revenge,  she 
set  fire  to  it  with  her  own  hands. 

The  steeples  and  roofs  of  Orleans  were  covered  with  a  multitude  of  peo- 
ple, who  watched  with  intense  interest  the  heroic  movements  of  La  Pucelle, 
animating  her  by  their  loud  cheers  and  clapping  of  hands,  as  the  spectators 
do  at  a  theatre.  As  soon  as  they  descried  upon  the  bastion  the  sacred  ban- 
ner, all  the  bells  rung,  as  a  signal  of  triumph.  La  Pucelle  ordered  her  men 
to  pass  the  night  where  they  were,  promising  to  return  with  new  forces  the 
next  morning.  As  for  herself,  as  she  had  been  wounded  in  the  foot  with  a 
caltrop,  and  had  fasted  all  day,  it  being  Friday,  she  returned  to  the  town  to 
take  some  repose  and  a  little  nourishment ;  for  now  that  she  was  no  longer 
supported  by  the  feverish  excitement  of  battle,  she  sank  from  weariness  and 
exhaustion. 

In  the  evening  the  chiefs  held  a  council  of  war.  Contrary  to  the  resolu- 
tion previously  adopted,  their  whole  efforts  had  been  directed  against  the 
left  bank ;  it  was  now  agreed  that,  since  nothing  prevented  the  reinforce- 
ments from  arriving,  as  the  bastions  Saint  Loup,  Saint  Jehan  de  Blane,  and 
the  Augustins  no  longer  existed,  that  they  would  not  permit  any  more  sol- 
diers to  leave  the  town,  as  in  the  absence  of  three  quarters  of  its  defenders, 
there  was  a  possibility  of  its  being  taken  suddenly  by  assault. 

Joan  learned  this  resolution :  "  You  have  been  to  your  council,"  said  she, 
"  and  I  to  mine.  Now,  the  counsel  of  the  Most  High  is  contrary  to  yours: 
also,  his  will  stand,  and  yours  will  perish.  Let  them  be  ready  at  an  early 
hour,  for  I  shall  have  more  to  do  to-morrow  than  I  have  ever  yet  done. 
Then,"  added  she,  with  a  sigh,  and  as  if  she  shuddered  with  pain,  "  to-mor- 
row my  blood  will  flow  :  I  shall  be  wounded  !" 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  45 

Joan  passed  a  very  restless  night,  waking  every  few  moments  ;  she  was 
so  much  afraid  that  the  English  would  attack  her  men,  that  she  sprang  up 
very  often  and  ran  to  the  window  to  listen  if  she  could  hear  any  noise,  and 
every  time  that  she  did  so,  the  wife  of  Jacques  Boucher,  who  slept  in  the 
same  bed  with  her,  endeavoured  to  soothe  her  agitation,  telling  her  to  sleep 
quietly,  for  that  the  English  had  been  so  much  terrified  by  what  had  passed 
the  two  preceding  days,  that  they  were  more  disposed  to  fly  than  to  attack. 
Joan  became  calm  for  a  moment,  and  returned  to  bed,  but  soon  the  same 
fears  disturbed  her  again ;  and  thus  she  wearied  out  a  part  of  the  night ;  but 
she  dressed,  and  had  herself  armed,  long  before  daylight. 

Before  she  left  her  chamber,  she  repeated,  with  an  involuntary  shudder, 
the  prediction  relative  to  her  wound. 

"  Why  do  you  go  out  then  ?"  demanded  her  hostess. 

"  The  hand  of  God  impels  me,"  said  Joan. 

As  she  was  going  out,  some  sailors  brought  to  Jacques  Boucher  a  superb 
shad. 

"  Stay  with  us,"  said  her  kind  host,  "  instead  of  exposing  yourself  in 
battle,  and  we  will  eat  this  nice  fish." 

"  No,"  said  Joan,  "  no  ;  but  wait  the  supper  for  me  a  little  while,  and  I 
will  return  by  the  bridge  towards  evening  to  take  my  share,  and  will  bring 
some  English  to  sup  with  us." 

"  God  grant  it !"  said  Jacques  Boucher,  "  for  if  you  return  by  the  biidge, 
you  will  first  have  to  take  the  Bastion  of  the  Tournelles." 

"  With  the  aid  of  God,  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  we  shall  take  it,"  replied 
Joan. 

At  these  words,  she  went  out ;  it  was  about  half  past  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing. On  arriving  at  the  gate  of  Burgundy,  she  found  it  shut,  and  it  was 
Governor  Gaucourt  who,  in  virtue  of  the  decision  of  the  council,  had  given 
orders  not  to  let  Joan  go  out.  But  Joan  exclaimed  that  the  orders  of  the 
council  did  not  concern  her,  that  she  was  chief  of  war,  and  that  besides  a 
much  higher  council  than  that  which  wished  to  fetter  her,  had  ordered  her 
to  go.  The  result  of  this  conflict  was  a  great  mutiny  at  the  gate.  They 
ran  to  inform  the  governor  of  it,  who  hastened  to  the  gate ;  but  in  defiance 
of  all  he  could  say,  Joan  remained  firm  in  her  resolution.  The  people 
then  began  to  murmur  in  her  favour.  The  governor  wished  to  elevate  his 
voice. 

"  You  are  a  wicked  man,"  cried  La  Pucelle,  overwhelming  the  voice  of 
the  governor,  "  but  you  shall  not  have  power  to  oppose  the  will  of  our 
Lord.  The  soldiers  will  go  out  in  spite  of  you  ;  the  soldiers  will  obey  my 
voice,  and  not  yours ;  the  soldiers  will  follow  me,  and  they  will  win  the 
victory  to-day,  as  they  did  yesterday  and  the  day  before." 

"  Yes  !  yes  !"  responded  the  soldiers,  the  archers,  and  the  people,  from 
every  direction,  "  Yes,  Joan  is  our  only  chief,  and  we  will  follow  her." 

And,  as  Gaucourt  still  made  some  difficulty,  they  fell  upon  him  and  his 


46  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

suite  with  such  violence,  that,  but  for  Joan,  he  and  all  his  men  would  have 
been  slaughtered.  At  length,  the  gate  was  opened :  Joan  passed  through 
first,  and  all  that  roaring  multitude  followed  after.  Joan  crossed  the  river 
in  a  boat,  holding  her  horse  by  the  bridle,  as  he  swam  after  her.  When 
she  reached  the  other  shore,  she  raised  her  standard,  and  her  soldiers,  who 
had  encamped  there  the  night  before,  seeing  that  she  had  kept  her  promise 
to  return  to  them  early  in  the  morning,  put  themselves  in  battle  array,  utter- 
ing cries  of  joy,  and  shouting  from  rank  to  rank,  "  to  arms !  to  arms  !"  La 
Pucelle  did  not  allow  sufficient  time  to  elapse  for  their  ardour  to  decrease, 
before  she  gave  orders  to  commence  the  assault. 

The  bastion  Tournelles  was  the  strongest  of  all,  and  contained  within  its 
walls,  Sir  William  Gladsdale,  with  the  flower  of  his  army.  It  was  built 
upon  an  arch  of  the  broken  bridge,  being  isolated  one  third  of  the  breadth 
of  the  Loire,  the  river  serving  it  on  every  side  as  a  fosse.  Besides  this, 
there  was  a  well  fortified  bulwark  on  the  left  bank,  defending  the  approach 
to  the  bastion  Tournelles,  and  communicating  with  it  by  a  draw-bridge  ;  so 
that  this  bulwark  had  first  to  be  taken,  and  then  the  task  would  be  but  half 
accomplished. 

La  Pucelle  marched  to  the  combat  with  her  habitual  confidence,  and  soon 
she  saw  all  the  chiefs  coming  to  her  assistance,  who  being  ashamed  to  per- 
mit a  woman  to  combat  alone,  had  followed  on  to  take  their  part  in  the  bat- 
tle. There  were  the  Bastard  of  Orleans,  the  chevaliers  Retz,  Gaucourt, 
Gamache,  Graville,  Guitey,  Villars  Chailly,  Coaraze,  Yilliers,  Thermes, 
Gontaut,  Admiral  Culant,  La  Hire  Zantrailles  •,  that  is  to  say,  with  few 
exceptions,  the  flower  of  French  chivalry.  On  seeing  the  approach  of  the 
French,  Sir  William  Gladsdale  reminded  his  soldiers  that  they  were  of  the 
same  blood  as  those  who  conquered  at  Cressy,  Poitiers,  and  Agincourt ; 
besides,  added  he,  those  who  fought  those  famous  battles,  had  men  for  their 
antagonists,  and  not  a  woman.  The  English  swore  to  show  themselves 
worthy  of  their  fathers  and  themselves,  and  the  assault  commenced. 

At  the  first  onset,  by  their  manner  of  attack  and  defence,  it  was  evident 
that  each  one  regarded  it  as  a  mortal  struggle,  the  issue  of  which  would  be 
decisive  for  France  or  for  England.  From  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  till 
three  in  the  afternoon,  the  French  ceased  not  to  assail  and  the  English  to 
repulse.  Every  one  fought  not  with  the  deliberate  regularity  of  a  general 
battle,  but  with  the  desperation  of  a  private  duel.  Each  one  selected  his 
antagonist,  attacked  and  defeated  him,  or  was  defeated  by  him  ;  the  French 
making  use  of  their  swords  and  lances,  with  which  they  could  reach  the 
farthest,  and  the  English  striking  with  leadan  maces  and  iron  axes,  and  pre- 
cipitating the  men  with  large  timbers,  breaking  the  steps  with  enormous 
stones ;  then  pouring  down  upon  these  prostrate  and  shattered  bodies,  lime 
and  boiling  oil  or  melted  lead.  For  three  long  hours  the  horrible  conflict 
raged  thus ;  for  three  hours  the  voice  of  La  Pucelle  was  heard  above  all 
others,  shouting  "  Courage  !"  for  three  hours  they  saw  her  banner  waving 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  47 

foremost,  now  rising,  now  descending,  then  rising  again ;  till  at  length, 
harassed  by  fatigue,  repulsed  on  all  sides,  the  French  retreated  a  few  steps, 
notwithstanding  tile  efforts  of  Joan,  who  rushed  forward  to  the  wall, 
crying,  "  In  the  name  of  God  do  not  retreat !  in  God's  name,  courage !  for  I 
tell  you  they  will  soon  all  be  at  our  mercy."  And  wishing  to  reanimate 
them  by  her  example,  she  took  a  ladder  and  placed  it  against  the  rampart, 
and  mounted  alone,  crying:  "  Surrender,  Englishmen,  surrender,  and  if  you 
do  not,  you  will  all  be  discomfited,  for  such  is  the  will  of  God." 

At  that  moment,  an  arrow  hit  her  above  the  breast  and  came  out  four  or 
five  inches  behind  the  neck.  That  was  the  wound  poor  Joan  had  predicted 
the  day  before ;  she  uttered  one  cry  of  agony,  descended  the  ladder,  and 
overcome  by  suffering  she  fell  into  the  fosse.  The  English  seeing  this, 
took  courage,  and  rushed  out  of  the  fortress  to  take  her,  but  the  French  che- 
valiers flew  to  her  aid.  Chevalier  Gamache  reached  her  first,  and  with  his 
axe  hewing  down  two  Englishmen  who  essayed  to  touch  her :  "  Joan,"  said 
he,  "  you  are  a  brave  girl,  and  I  beg  your  pardon  for  having  thought  evil  of 
you  ;  take  my  horse,  and  let  us  be  friends."  "  Yes,  let  us  be  friends,"  re- 
plied La  Pucelle,  extending  her  hand  to  him,  "  for  I  have  never  seen  a  better 
bred  chevalier  than  you  are."  Then  they  carried  Joan  about  a  hundred 
paces  from  the  fortress,  for  she  could  not  mount  a  horse,  and  there  they  dis- 
armed her.  Joan  raised  her  hand  to  the  arrow  in  her  shoulder,  and  did  not 
know  till  that  moment  that  it  came  out  half  a  foot  behind  ;  then  the  warrior 
succumbed  to  the  woman,  strength  to  weakness — Joan  was  afraid,  and  be- 
gan to  cry ;  but  suddenly  her  tears  ceased,  she  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven, 
her  countenance  became  radiant,  and  her  lips  murmured  a  few  words  which 
no  person  understood.  They  were  her  saints  who  had  appeared  to  her  to 
console  her. 

When  the  vision  vanished,  Joan  felt  herself  again  strong  and  confident, 
she  took  the  arrow  with  her  own  hands  and  drew  it  from  the  wound :  then 
one  of  the  soldiers  who  had  helped  to  carry  her  there,  approached  her,  and 
offered  to  charm  away  the  pain  she  suffered  by  some  magical  words.  But 
Joan  recoiled  from  him  with  horror :  "  I  would  rather  die,"  said  she,  "than 
to  go  contrary  to  the  will  of  God.  If  my  wound  can  be  healed  I  shall  be 
glad ;  but  I  would  rather  it  should  remain  open  all  my  life,  and  lose  by  it 
my  last  drop  of  blood,  than  it  should  be  closed  by  such  means."  Then 
another  approached,  and  put  upon  it  some  cotton  saturated  with  oil,  which 
relieved  her  a  little. 

At  that  moment,  Dunois  came  to  her,  and  told  her  she  had  better  prepare 
to  retire  ;  that  the  retreat  had  been  ordered,  and  the  cannoniers  were  begin- 
ning to  take  away  the  cannons.  Then  Joan  rallied  all  her  strength,  put  on 
her  armour,  mounted  her  horse,  and  leaving  her  standard  in  the  hands  of 
one  of  her  soldiers,  she  galloped  into  the  midst  of  the  chiefs,  crying :  "  In 
God's  name,  have  courage  a  little  longer,  for  we  shall  soon  enter.  Let  the 


48  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

men  eat  and  drink,  and  repose  a  little  while  ;  then  return  to  the  assault,  and 
in  less  than  half  an  hour,  all  will  be  in  our  power." 

But  they  were  all  so  completely  disheartened  by  their  long  fruitless  strug- 
gle, that  the  bravest  were  inclined  to  return  to  the  town ;  suddenly  it  occur- 
red to  Chevalier  Daulon,  that  if  they  saw  Joan's  banner  moving  towards  the 
fortress,  they  would  all  follow,  and  he  made  a  movement  to  take  it  from  the 
soldier  to  whom  Joan  had  confided  it,  but  the  soldier  was  so  proud  of  his 
charge  that  he  would  not  give  it  up.  Daulon  then  proposed  that  they  should 
go  together  against  the  English ;  and  taking  each  other  by  the  hand,  they 
ran  towards  the  fosse,  crying  out,  "  forward,  soldiers,  forward  !" 

The  scheme  of  Daulon  succeeded  admirably,  for  without  regarding  the 
chiefs,  the  soldiers  and  common  people  rushed  on  to  the  fortress.  Joan 
had  dismounted,  and  was  kneeling  beneath  a  vine,  praying  earnestly  to  God, 
beseeching  him  to  infuse  courage  into  the  drooping  hearts  of  her  soldiers, 
when  she  heard  a  great  noise,  and  looking  up  she  saw  all  the  men  returning 
to  the  assault.  She  plunged  into  the  thickest  of  the  crowd,  urged  her  way 
forward  to  the  place  where  the  standard  was,  and  taking  it  from  the  soldier 
she  raised  it  above  her  head,  and  waved  it  to  and  fro  with  all  her  strength. 
The  effect  of  this  apparition  was  magical :  the  most  distant  returned,  and 
the  most  timid  took  heart.  The  English,  on  their  part,  who  supposed  that 
Joan  was  dead,  or  grievously  wounded,  were  terrified  and  amazed  to  see 
her  return,  armed,  vigorous,  and  apparently  safe  and  sound ;  it  seemed  to 
them  that  nothing  short  of  a  miracle  could  have  brought  about  her  return, 
and  the  thought  that  God  was  combating  for  the  French  seemed  to  produce 
a  paralyzing  effect  upon  their  energies.  At  this  moment,  to  augment  still 
farther  the  confusion  which  began  to  spread  among  them,  the  citizens  of 
Orleans,  conducted  by  commander  Girenne,  came  over  to  attack  the  bas- 
tion upon  the  bridge.  A  brave  carpenter  threw  a  broad  beam  of  the  broken 
bridge  so  that  one  end  of  it  rested  upon  the  bastion  Tournelles :  the  com- 
mander sprang  upon  it  first,  shouting,  "  death  to  the  English  !  death  to  the 
English !" 

Sir  William  Gladsdale,  hearing  these  shouts,  and  fearing  that  in  his  ab- 
sence his  people  could  not  defend  themselves  well,  and  might  allow  them- 
selves to  be  surprised  by  an  attack  from  behind,  wished  to  go  to  the  place 
from  whence  he  heard  the  cries.  Joan  saw  him  going  towards  the  draw- 
bridge, by  the  aid  of  which  they  communicated  with  the  bastion  Tournelles: 
"  Surrender,  Gladsdale,  surrender !"  cried  she,  "  surrender  to  the  King  of 
heaven,  and  you  shall  find  mercy !  You  have  basely  injured  me,  never- 
theless I  have  pity  upon  your  soul  and  the  souls  of  your  people !"  But 
Gladsdale  made  no  reply ;  he  had  just  stepped  on  to  the  draw-bridge,  sword 
in  hand,  and  was  passing  along  suspended  above  the  river,  when  suddenly 
Daulon,  who  had  ordered  a  brave  cannonier  to  direct  his  bombard  against 
the  bridge,  ordered  him  to  fire :  the  stone  with  which  it  was  charged  hit 
full  on  the  beam  of  the  draw-bridge,  which,  being  loaded  with  men,  and  so 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  49 

much  shattered  by  the  shot  from  the  bombard,  that  it  cracked  and  broke  in 
the  middle,  gnd  Gladsdale  fell  into  the  Loire,  and  was  dragged  to  the  bottom 
by  the  weight  of  his  armour.  Moulins,  Pommiers,  and  several  other  Eng- 
lish chevaliers,  were  drowned  with  him. 

A  cry  of  despair  rose  at  the  same  time  from  the  bulwark  and  the  bastion: 
God  declared  himself  visibly  for  the  French.  An  Englishman  declared  that 
he  saw  above  their  ranks  the  archangel  Michael,  and  Saint  Aignan,  the  patron 
saint  of  the  city  of  Orleans,  mounted  upon  white  horses,  armed  with  flaming 
swords,  and  combating  in  aid  of  their  enemies,  the  French.  The  English 
chief  was  no  longer  there  to  give  orders,  his  bravest  captains  were  either 
dead  or  wounded,  and  resistance  any  longer  was  impossible.  Then  was 
heard  the  despairing  cry,  "  Sauve  qul  pent!"  Some  leapt  from  the  bul- 
wark into  the  river,  some  surrendered  and  sued  for  mercy ;  and  there  were 
others  who  would  neither  fly  nor  surrender,  but  perished  arms  in  hand.  In 
fine,  as  Joan  had  predicted,  in  less  than  half  an  hour  the  bulwark  and  bas- 
tion were  both  taken. 

Thus,  as  Joan  had  announced  to  her  host,  she  actually  returned  to  the 
town  by  the  way  of  the  bridge. 

This  was  a  more  triumphant  entree  for  Joan  than  she  had  ever  yet  made. 
It  is  true  her  miraculous  mission  had  never  displayed  itself  so  clearly.  All 
that  she  had  predicted  had  been  accomplished :  she  had  been  wounded,  the 
bastion  had  been  taken,  and  she  had  returned  by  the  way  of  the  bridge  as  she 
had  said  she  would  do  in  the  morning.  The  Te  Deum  was  sung,  the  bells 
rang  all  night,  and  the  citizens  promenaded  the  illuminated  streets  till  break 
of  day,  embracing  each  other  in  token  of  their  gladness,  and  uttering  excla- 
mations of  joy  and  thanksgiving. 

Jacques  Boucher  waited  for  Joan  with  his  shad ;  but  she  was  suffering 
so  much  from  pain  and  fatigue,  that  she  could  not  take  any  of  it,  she  only 
ate  a  little  bread,  and  drank  part  of  a  goblet  of  wine  and  water,  and  having 
her  wound,  which  was  already  closed,  newly  dressed,  she  retired  to  her 
bed. 

At  dawn  of  day  they  awoke  Joan,  telling  her  there  was  a  great  flame  and 
a  thick  smoke  in  the  direction  of  the  English  quarters ;  Joan  arose,  and,  in- 
stead of  her  heavy  cuirass,  she  put  on  a  light  jacket  of  mail,  and  mounted 
her  horse.  As  she  reached  the  ramparts,  she  saw  the  English  in  battle 
order,  having  their  troops  ranged  along  the  moat  of  the  city,  and  seeming  to 
offer  combat  to  the  French.  During  the  night,  Lord  Talbout,  the  Count  of 
Suffolk,  and  the  other  English  chiefs,  had  decided  to  abandon  the  siege;  but 
as  they  wished  for  honour's  sake  to  make  this  retreat,  not  as  men  who  were 
driven  away,  but  as  if  they  went  of  their  own  accord,  they  had  set  fire  to 
their  lodgings,  and  ranged  their  soldiers  in  battle  array,  to  offer  the  last  chal- 
lenge to  their  conquerors. 

The  French  chiefs,  at  this  demonstration,  wished  to  go  out  and  accept 


50  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

the  combat ;  but  this  time  it  was  Joan  who,  instead  of  exciting  their  courage, 
endeavoured  to  calm  their  ardour. 

"  For  the  love  and  honour  of  the  holy  Sabbath !"  cried  she,  "  do  not  make 
the  first  attack ;  for  it  is  the  good  pleasure  of  God  that  we  should  permit 
them  to  depart  if  they  will.  But  if  they  attack  you,  defend  yourselves 
boldly,  for  in  this  case  you  will  be  masters." 

Then  she  sent  for  some  priests,  with  their  sacerdotal  vestments  ;  and 
while  they  sang  hymns  and  chants,  accompanied  by  the  people,  she  ordered 
a  table  and  a  consecrated  marble  to  be  brought,  and  by  the  aid  of  these  two 
articles  they  made  a  temporary  altar,  where  the  priests  said  two  masses,  to 
which  Joan  listened  devoutly,  kneeling.  At  the  end  of  the  second  mass  she 
asked  if  the  English  had  their  backs  or  faces  turned  towards  the  town. 

"  They  have  their  backs  turned,  and  are  making  their  retreat,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  Well,  let  them  go,"  said  Joan,  "for  it  is  not  the  will  of  God  that  we 
should  pursue  them  to-day.  Another  time  God  will  deliver  them  into  our 
hands." 

Whatever  was  the  desire  of  the  chiefs  to  pursue  the  enemy,  there  was  so 
much  inspiration  in  Joan's  voice,  that  they  were  arrested  by  it,  and  accord- 
ing to  her  desire  they  let  the  English  retire  unmolested ;  only  the  soldiers 
and  common  people  went  out  of  the  city  to  pillage  the  two  bastions  which 
remained  standing ;  then  they  demolished  them,  after  they  had  withdrawn 
the  cannons  and  the  bombards,  which  they  brought  with  them  on  their  re- 
turn to  the  town. 

A  part  of  the  population  and  the  whole  garrison  were  upon  the  ramparts 
of  the  city,  from  the  top  of  which  they  watched  the  retreat  of  the  English. 
At  the  moment  the  bell  rang  for  noon  their  receding  forms  vanished  in  the 
distance.  Joan  had  now  raised  "  the  siege  of  Orleans." 

Nine  days  had  sufficed  for  La  Pucelle  to  accomplish  the  first  promise 
which  she  had  made  in  the  name  of  God. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

JARGAN   AND    PATAY. 

; 

HAVING  raised  the  siege  of  Orleans,  Joan  had  nothing  more  to  do  there  ; 
and  on  the  13th  of  May  she  took  her  departure  from  the  city  she  had  so 
miraculously  saved.  The  Bastard  of  Orleans  and  nearly  all  the  military 
chiefs  accompanied  her;  for  in  seeing  her  so  brave  in  battle,  so  modest 
after,  and  so  pious  always,  they  had  ceased  to  be  jealous  and  were  emu- 
lous to  render  her  justice.  They  rode  on  thus  to  Tours,  where  the  king 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  51 

was.  Charles  VII.  made  a  grand  feast  in  honour  of  the  chiefs  and  of  La 
Pucelle  in  particular,  which  was  her  just  due,  for  she  had  fulfilled  all  her 
promises ;  and  there  was  not  one  chief  in  the  whole  army,  however  pow- 
erful or  intrepid,  who  would  have  dared  to  conceive  a  hope  of  accomplish- 
ing what  she  had  promised. 

Then  a  grand  council  was  assembled  to  decide  upon  their  future  move- 
ments. Joan  strongly  insisted  upon  conducting  the  Dauphin  instantly  to 
Reims,  saying,  that  from  the  moment  when  he  should  be  crowned  the 
power  of  the  English  would  continue  to  decline  throughout  the  kingdom. 
But  it  was  finally  thought  best  to  first  clear  the  Loire,  by  recovering  those 
towns  upon  the  river  which  were  in  possession  of  the  English.  Conse- 
quently they  convoked  a  grand  assembly  of  nobles,  whom  the  king  placed 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Duke  of  Alen§on,  recommending  him,  how- 
ever, in  all  things  to  take  counsel  of  La  Pucelle.  The  Duchess  of  Alen- 
c_on  was  much  distressed  at  being  again  separated  from  her  husband,  but 
Joan,  as  before,  promised  her  that  he  should  return  safe  and  sound,  and  as 
this  promise  had  been  once  fulfilled  the  duchess  took  courage  and  em- 
braced Joan,  recommending  the  duke  to  her  prayers. 

On  the  20th  of  June  they  arrived  before  Jargan,  and  the  next  day, 
which  was  St.  Barnabas's  day,  they  commenced  the  siege.  The  French 
had  in  their  army  the  Duke  of  Alen$on  who  was  commander-in-chief, 
Joan,  the  Bastard  of  Orleans,  the  Chevaliers  Boussac,  Gravelle,  Culant, 
Ambroise  Dehore,  and  Stephen  de  Vignoles-.  As  for  the  city,  it  was 
defended  by  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  in  person,  and  Alexander  and  John  de 
la  Poule,  his  two  brothers.  We  may  well  suppose  that  the  city  being  so 
well  attacked,  would  also  be  well  defended. 

The  day  after  they  arrived  they  began  to  cannonade  the  walls.  All  that 
day,  which  was  Saturday,  they  kept  up  the  battering  with  so  much  vigour, 
that  on  Sunday  morning  the  breach  was  practicable,  and  they  ordered  the 
assault.  In  fact,  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  for  the  English  were  daily 
expecting  a  large  reinforcement  from  Paris,  which  was  to  be  led  on  by  the 
famous  Sir  Falstaff,  who  had  so  cruelly  beaten  the  French  at  the  celebrated 
battle  of  the  Herrings. 

The  day  before,  Joan  had  given  a  new  proof  of  the  spirit  of  divination 
which  animated  her.  As  the  Duke  of  Alen9on  was  advancing  with  Che- 
valier de  Lude  to  direct  the  fire  of  a  battery,  Joan  called  out  to  him  to 
draw  back,  and  as  he  did  not  hear  her  she  ran  to  him,  caught  him  by  the 
arm,  and  drew  him  aside  two  or  three  yards.  At  the  same  moment  an 
English  bombard  was  discharged,  and  Chevalier  de  Lude,  who  was  stand- 
ing in  the  very  spot  where  the  duke  was,  had  his  head  carried  off.  The 
Duke  of  Alen£on  had  already  a  great  affection  for  Joan,  and  almost  from 
the  commencement  had  entire  confidence  in  her,  but  from  this  time  his 
gratitude  to  *her  was  unbounded,  for  there  was  no  doubt  but  that  she  had 
saved  his  life.  This  event,  which  had  taken  place  in  the  sight  of  all  the 


52  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

army,  infused  new  courage  into  the  soldiers,  and  they  boldly  prepared  for 
the  coming  strife. 

At  the  moment  when  the  assault  was  about  to  commence,  the  Count  of 
Suffolk  demanded  a  parley.  The  English  were  no  longer  the  same  as 
when  two  months  before  they  had  attacked  the  French  wherever  they 
encountered  them,  even  though  they  were  treble  their  number ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  felt  no  security  in  their  numbers  or  their  walls,  and  avoided  the 
combat  as  much  as  possible. 

Several  were  inclined  to  continue  the  assault  and  not  to  grant  the  parley  ; 
but  Joan  and  the  duke  declared  that  it  ought  to  be  granted.  Then  the 
English  envoy  advanced  between  the  two  armies  and  demanded  to  treat  in 
the  name  of  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  promising  to  surrender  the  town  at  the 
expiration  of  fifteen  days  if  no  succour  arrived  to  him  in  that  space  of  time. 
The  duke's  reply  was,  that  he  could  only  grant  the  English  garrison  their 
lives,  and  moreover  permission  for  the  nobles  to  keep  their  horses  ;  but  the 
envoy  said  he  could  not  accept  such  a  proposition. 

"  Then  we  will  take  you  by  assault,"  replied  La  Pucelle. 
The  envoy  retired. 

"Forward,  gentle  duke  !"  cried  Joan,  "  forward  to  the  assault!" 
"But,"  said  the  duke,  "do  you  think  Joan  that  the  breach  is  suffi- 
ciently practicable  ?   does  it  not  seem  to  you  that  we  ought  to  wait  a 
little?" 

"  Have  no  doubt,"  said  Joan,  "  but  march  boldly  forward  ;  the  hour  is 
come  ;  this  is  God's  time  ;  and  it  is  his  will  that  we  should  make  the 
attack  now,  and  he  is  ready  to  aid  us." 

"  Nevertheless" —  said  the  duke,  hesitating  still. 

"Ah!"  interrupted  Joan,  "are  you  then  afraid,  my  gentle  duke,  and 

do  you  forget  that  I  have  promised  to  your  wife  to  bring  you  safely  home  ?" 

"  Come  on,  then,"  said  the  duke,  "  since  you  will  have  it  so,  Joan,  it 

shall  be  done  according  to  your  pleasure."     Then  raising  his  voice,  he 

shouted  :  "  To  the  assault!  to  the  assault!" 

Each  one  then  rushed  to  the  walls  with  admirable  ardour.  But  as  the 
duke  had  thought  the  breach  was  too  high  up,  and  they  had  to  make  use 
of  ladders  to  reach  it,  which  was  no  easy  matter :  for  there  was  at  the 
most  assailable  place  (and  consequently  the  most  attacked,)  a  great  strong 
Englishman  armed  cap-a-pie,  who  performed  wonders,  sometimes  with  a 
war-club  and  sometimes  with  great  pieces  of  rock,  which  he  hurled  with 
the  force  of  a  machine  of  war. 

Then  the  Duke  of  Alen9on,  seeing  the  ravage  this  giant  made  among 
them,  went  to  a  master  cannonier  who  passed  for  a  very  skilful  pointer, 
and  pointing  out  the  Englishman  to  him,  asked  him  if  he  could  despatch 
that  troublesome  enemy.  The  cannonier,  who  was  called  Master  John, 
and  who  was  well  worthy  of  his  reputation,  instantly  charged  his  culverin, 
and  directing  it  against  the  Englishman,  who  exposed  himself  very  much 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  53 

just  at  that  moment,  he  hit  him  full  in  the  breast ;  he  was  thrown  back  by 
the  shot  four  or  five  paces,  and  then  fell  dead  from  the  top  of  the  breach. 

Profiting  by  the  disorder  which  this  master-stroke  created  among  the 
English,  Joan  descended  into  the  fosse  with  her  standard  in  her  hand,  and 
setting  up  a  ladder  in  the  place  where  the  English  were  making  the  severest 
defence,  she  put  her  foot  upon  the  first  round,  calling  and  encouraging  her 
companions.  Just  then  she  was  recognized  by  the  English,  and  one  of 
them  taking  a  large  stone  which  he  could  hardly  lift  launched  it  upon  her 
head  with  such  force  that  the  stone  broke  into  a  thousand  pieces  upon  her 
helmet,  and  Joan,  stunned  by  the  blow,  was  obliged  to  sit  down.  But  she 
soon  rose,  and  with  an  energy  and  faith  stronger  than  ever  she  cried  out : 

"Mount!  mount  boldly!  and  enter  the  city;  you  will  find  no  more 
resistance ;  for  their  hour  is  told,  and  God  has  condemned  them  !" 

At  these  words,  giving  the  example,  she  mounted  first ;  and,  in  fact, 
the  French  had  hardly  made  an  effort  when  every  thing  yielded  before 
them,  and  the  English  began  to  fly.  The  French  pursued  them  sword  in 
hand,  and  the  Count  of  Suffolk,  who  had  just  seen  his  brother,  Alexander 
de  Poole,  fall  dead,  fled  like  the  rest,  and  being  closely  pursued  by  a  gen- 
tleman called  William  Renault,  who  as  he  pursued  called  out  to  him  to 
surrender,  he  turned  around  : 

"  Art  thou  a  gentleman  ?"  demanded  the  count  of  his  enemy. 

"I  am,"  replied  he. 

"  Art  thou  a  chevalier  ?"  again  demanded  the  count. 

«'  No,  but  I  deserve  to  be  one  when  the  Count  of  Suffolk  flies  before 
me,"  replied  William. 

"  Good  !"  said  the  count ;  "  upon  my  soul  you  shall  be  one,  and  what 
is  more,  by  my  hand,  so  down  upon  your  knees !" 

William  Renault  obeyed  and  knelt  down  before  the  count.  The  count 
then  gave  him  three  slaps  upon  his  shoulder  with  the  flat  of  his  sword, 
saying :  "  In  the  name  of  God  and  St.  George  I  dub  thee  a  knight." 
Then  he  immediately  surrendered  to  him  the  same  sword  with  which  he 
had  conferred  on  him  his  new  title. 

This  good  news  was  soon  transmitted  to  the  king,  whilst  that  the  French 
army,  after  having  left  a  garrison  at  Jargan,  retired  to  Orleans,  where  they 
intended  to  recruit  themselves  by  a  short  period  of  repose. 

The  king,  much  elated  with  so  rich  a  prize — after  having  heartily 
returned  thanks  to  God  by  masses  and  processions — made  a  new  convo- 
cation of  nobles  and  soldiers,  and  as  at  the  moment  his  fallen  fortunes 
began  to  rise,  reinforcements  poured  in  to  him  from  all  quarters,  he  sent 
them  all  on  to  Orleans,  where,  as  we  have  said,  were  the  Duke  of  Alen$on 
and  La  Pucelle.  The  principal  persons  among  the  arrivals  were  Seigneur 
Retz,  Seigneur  Chavigny,  Seigneur  Loheac,  his  brother  Guy  of  Laval,  and 
Seigneur  Latour  d'Auvergne. 

When  the  Duke  of  Alenson  saw  himself  thus  powerfully  reinforced, 


54  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

he  immediately  resolved  to  continue  that  period  of  success  which  had  been 
opened  by  the  taking  of  Jargan.  He  marched  directly  upon  Meung-sur- 
Loire,  where  the  English  were  commanded  by  Lord  Scales,  who,  not 
judging  himself  sufficiently  strong  to  offer  resistance,  abandoned  the  town 
and  retired  to  the  citadel.  The  French  then  continued  their  march  to 
Beaugency,  where  Lord  Talbot  commanded ;  but,  like  Lord  Scales,  not 
daring  to  defend  the  town,  he  left  a  small  garrison  in  the  fortress  and  went 
to  join  the  forces  which  had  been  led  from  Paris  by  Sir  Falstaff,  and  which 
had  arrived  too  late  to  render  any  assistance  to  their  compatriots  at  Jargan. 

The  Duke  of  Alen$on  was  before  Beaugency,  when  the  news  reached 
him  that  Count  Arthur,  of  Richmond,  constable  of  France — who  had  been 
removed  from  the  king  by  the  influence  of  Seigneur  Tremoille — had  come 
to  join  him  with  an  army.  In  effect,  the  constable,  who  was  young  and 
brave,  and  moreover  a  Frenchman  at  heart,  had  become  weary  of  the 
repose  which  the  intrigues  of  a  court  inflicted  upon  him,  and  longed  to 
share  in  the  stirring  scenes  which  were  enacting  at  that  period  of  time. 
Consequently,  he  left  Parthenay  with  a  great  number  of  gentlemen  of  the 
first  families  of  Brittany,  and  came  as  we  have  said  to  the  Duke  of  Alen- 
$on,  to  tender  his  sword  in  the  service  of  the  king,  and  if  need  was,  to 
serve  Charles  VII.  with  or  without  his  consent. 

The  situation  of  the  Duke  of  Alenson  became  very  embarrassing,  for 
he  had  positive  orders  from  the  king  not  to  accept  the  aid  of  the  constable, 
and  the  constable,  being  already  at  Amboise,  had  sent  two  of  his  officers 
to  secure  lodgings  for  himself  and  his  men  in  Beaugency,  the  same  town 
where  the  duke  was.  Placed  between  the  two  unpleasant  extremities  of 
disobeying  the  king  or  making  an  enemy  of  the  constable,  whom  he  much 
esteemed,  the  duke  was  upon  the  point  of  retiring.  Joan,  being  entirely 
ignorant  who  the  Count  of  Richmond  was,  and  judging  from  the  perplexity 
which  he  caused  in  the  French  army  that  he  was  some  enemy,  proposed 
to  march  towards  him  and  defeat  him  directly.  But  this  proposition 
excited  a  great  clamour  against  her,  and  many  chevaliers,  and  even  La 
Hire,  who  was  one  of  her  best  friends,  declared  boldly  that  if  any  attack 
was  made  upon  Arthur  of  Richmond  their  services  need  not  be  relied  upon, 
for  they  much  preferred  the  constable  to  all  the  girls  in  the  kingdom. 

During  these  consultations  they  learned  that  Lord  Talbot  was  approach- 
ing with  Sir  John  Falstaff.  Then  La  Pucelle,  who  by  this  time  rightly 
understood  who  the  constable  was,  gave  her  opinion  first,  saying,  that 
instead  of  encouraging  civil  discord  and  division,  it  was  necessary  to  sup- 
port and  aid  each  other ;  declaring  that  she  herself  would  answer  to  the 
king  for  this  violation  of  his  commands.  The  Duke  of  Alenc_on,  who 
desired  nothing  better  than  a  union  with  the  constable  provided  another 
would  take  the  responsibility  of  it,  convoked  the  principal  chiefs  of  his 
army  to  accompany  them  to  the  constable.  When  they  were  within  a  few 
paces  of  the  Breton  army,  the  French  chevaliers  dismounted  from  their 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  55 

horses  ;  and  Joan  advancing  first,  knelt  to  embrace  the  knees  of  the  con- 
stable, but  the  constable  quickly  raised  her,  saying :  "  Joan,  I  have  been 
assured  that  you  wished  to  combat  me  :  I  do  not  know  whether  you  come 
from  God  or  not — if  you  are  from  God  I  have  no  fear  of  you,  for  God 
knows  the  intentions  of  my  heart :  if  you  are  from  the  devil  I  fear  you 
still  less." 

After  Joan  came  the  Duke  of  Alengon ;  the  two  princes  shook  each 
other  cordially  and  frankly  by  the  hand ;  then  French  and  Bretons  min- 
gled, and  began  to  talk  of  the  marvellous  things  that  had  been  accom- 
plished; from  these  relations  they  mutually  inspired  each  other  with 
courage  for  the  coming  contest,  which  they  knew  could  not  be  far  distant. 

The  first  effect  of  this  union  was  to  cause  such  alarm  in  the  English 
garrison  at  Beaugency,  that  the  commander,  Chevalier  Gueton,  demanded 
a  treaty.  The  next  day  a  capitulation  was  signed,  by  which  every 
Englishman  then  in  the  garrison  had  liberty  to  depart  with  his  horse,  his 
armour,  and  the  value  of  a  mare  of  silver. 

During  this  time  Lord  Talbot,  Lord  Scales,  and  Sir  John  Falstaff,  had 
united  their  forces,  and  were  marching  upon  the  French  with  the  evident 
intention  of  proposing  battle  in  the  open  field  ;  it  was  then  very  fortunate 
that  this  good  understanding  existed  between  the  French  and  Bretons,  and 
to  none  did  it  impart  more  satisfaction  than  to  Joan.  "  Ah  !  my  good 
constable,"  said  she,  "  you  did  not  come  by  my  desire  or  command,  but 
you  are  not  the  less  welcome." 

La  Pucelle  spoke  words  of  encouragement  to  all.  "  If  the  English 
come,"  said  she,  "  we  must  not  hesitate  to  fight  like  heroes  ;  God  has 
sent  us  to  punish  them,  and  were  they  hung  in  the  clouds  they  should  not 
escape  us."  Thus  Joan,  by  her  tone  of  confidence  and  animation,  ban- 
ished from  the  minds  of  her  soldiers  the  recollection  of  the  unfortunate 
battles  of  Vrevent,  of  Verneuil,  and  of  Rouvray — and  with  the  brilliant 
successes  of  Orleans  and  of  Jargan  still  glowing  in  their  memories,  the 
soldiers  eagerly  demanded  to  be  led  on  to  the  encounter. 

The  Duke  of  Alengon  and  the  Constable  resolved  to  profit  by  the  favour- 
able state  of  feeling  which  prevailed — and  they  ordered  the  army  to  pre- 
pare themselves,  not  for  a  defence  against  the  English  when  they  should 
arrive,  but  to  anticipate  them  in  their  march  and  present  the  challenge 
themselves.  They  formed  a  fore-guard  chosen  from  the  flower  of  the 
troops,  and  commanded  by  Ambroise  de  Lore,  Chevalier  de  Beaumanoir, 
James  de  Tillet,  La  Hire,  and  Zantrailles.  La  Pucelle  loudly  demanded 
to  be  included  in  this  number,  for  she  said  it  was  her  custom  to  march  in 
the  first  rank ;  but  they  required  her  to  remain  in  the  main  body  of  the 
army,  with  the  Constable,  the  Duke  of  Alen9on,  the  Count  of  Dunois, 
Admiral  Culant,  Marshal  Broussac,  and  the  Seigneurs  Laval,  d'Albret,  and 
Gaucourt. 

They  now  commenced  their  march.     The  order  was  given  to  the  fore- 


56  JOAN,    THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

guard  to  attack  the  English  as  soon  as  they  encountered  them,  so  as  not  to 
allow  them  time  to  range  their  troops  in  battle  order — their  great  advantage 
over  the  French  having  always  been  attributable  to  their  skill  in  disposing 
their  armies.  They  marched  admirably  in  the  beautiful  plains  of  the 
Beauce,  where  they  expected  to  encounter  the  English ;  and  as  they  arrived 
near  Patay,  at  a  place  called  Coignees,  where  the  view  was  obstructed  by 
a  growth  of  coppice,  the  fore-guard  started  a  buck.  La  Hire  and  the 
chevaliers  who  were  near  him,  fastened  their  eyes  upon  the  animal  with 
the  attention  of  men  who,  next  to  war,  knew  no  nobler  task  than  the  chase. 
A  few  minutes  after  the  stag  had  disappeared  in  the  border  of  a  wood, 
they  heard  great  cries,  and  the  animal  again  bounded  in  sight  apparently 
bewildered  with  terror :  it  had  come  in  contact  with  the  English  army, 
and  the  cries  that  they  heard  were  those  of  the  enemy.  La  Hire  soon 
ranged  his  fore-guard  in  good  order,  and  sent  word  to  the  Duke  of  Alen- 
$on  that  he  had  just  encountered  the  English,  and  demanded  if  he  should 
attack  them  according  to  their  first  decision.  The  duke  was  near  Joan 
when  the  messenger  brought  the  news.  Turning  himself  towards  her : 

"  Joan,"  said  he,  "  the  English  are  here  in  battle  array ;  shall  we 
combat?" 

"  Have  you  your  spurs,  gentle  duke?"  demanded  Joan,  smiling. 

"  Why  our  spurs,  Joan  ?  do  you  think  we  ought  to  fly  ?" 

"  No,  indeed,"  said  Joan,  "  they  are  the  ones  to  fly,  and  not  we  ;  this 
day  will  be  won  for  the  Dauphin  the  finest  triumph  he  has  ever  gained,  for 
my  counsel  has  assured  me  that  we  shall  be  the  victors ;  this  is  why  I  asked 
you  if  you  had  your  spurs,  because  we  shall  put  them  to  flight  and  you 
will  have  need  of  them  in  the  pursuit." 

"  Very  good,  Joan,"  replied  the  duke  ;  "let  us  hasten  forward." 

"  Come  on,  in  God's  name,"  said  Joan,  "  for  I  answer  for  it  before- 
hand— the  battle  will  be  ours." 

And  the  messenger  soon  reported  the  orders  to  La  Hire  to  commence 
the  attack. 

La  Hire  fell  upon  the  English  so  precipitately — and  they,  not  knowing 
the  French  were  so  near,  and  not  being  at  all  prepared  for  the  attack — had 
not  time  to  set  in  order  their  battle  ;  besides,  there  was  discord  in  their 
ranks :  some  wished  to  accept  the  combat  and  others  wished  to  decline  it. 
Lord  Talbot  was  of  the  former  opinion  and  Sir  John  FalstafT  of  the  latter ; 
but  it  was  already  too  late  to  beat  a  retreat,  and  they  had  no  choice  left  them 
but  to  face  the  French.  Then  another  discussion  arose  :  some  wished  to 
combat  in  the  same  place  where  they  were,  affirming  it  to  be  sufficiently 
defended  by  a  strong  hedge  which  extended  along  their  right — others  wished 
to  take  a  better  position,  where  they  could  be  supported  on  one  side  by  the 
Abbey  of  Patay,  and  on  the  other  by  a  wood.  As  the  majority  were  of 
the  latter  opinion  this  course  was  decided  upon.  Then  they  all  began  to 
run  to  reach  the  proposed  place  ;  meantime  the  French  fore-guard  had 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  57 

gained  ground  considerably,  and  seeing  the  English  run  they  thought  they 
were  taking  flight  without  awaiting  the  attack  ;  their  courage  being  so  much 
augmented  by  this  they  urged  on  their  horses,  so  that  they  arrived  pell-mell 
with  the  enemy  upon  the  spot  where  they  designed  to  form  their  ranks ; 
the  result  of  it  was,  that  before  the  English  chevaliers  could  couch  their 
lances,  before  the  archers  had  planted  the  pickets  behind  which  they  fought 
and  which  protected  them  from  the  thrusts  of  the  cavalry,  in  short,  before 
any  thing  could  be  properly  disposed,  the  French  fore-guard  were  slashing 
right  and  left,  levelling  all  that  came  in  their  way  ;  and  when  the  main  body 
of  the  army  came  up  the  victory  was  already  in  so  good  train  that  the  mere 
sliowing  themselves  put  the  climax  to  the  achievement.  Sir  John  Falstaff 
and  the  Bastard  of  Thian  took  flight;  Lord  Talbot,  Lord  Seales,  and  Lord 
Hungerford  were  made  prisoners ;  two  thousand  two  hundred  English 
remained  upon  the  field  of  battle;  the  others  were  pursued  as  far  as  Jan- 
ville,  where  they  expected  to  find  a  retreat,  but  were  disappointed ;  the  good 
people  of  Janville,  who  were  French  at  heart,  seeing  the  English  defeated 
shut  their  gates  upon  them,  and  they  were  obliged  to  pass  on.  Moreover 
the  governor  of  the  city,  seeing  that  fortune  declared  itself  decidedly  for  the 
King  of  France,  proposed  to  the  conquerors  to  surrender  Janville  and  to 
enlist  themselves  in  the  interests  of  the  French,  if  they  would  grant  them 
their  lives  and  protection  from  injuries ;  the  proposition  was  accepted,  and 
with  the  same  blow  a  battle  was  gained  and  a  city  taken. 

But  the  results  of  this  great  battle  did  not  end  here ;  consternation  among 
the  English  was  so  great  that  they  abandoned  Meung,  Mountpipeau,  and 
St.  Simon,  and  setting  fire  to  the  fortresses  they  concentrated  themselves 
upon  Paris. 

As  for  La  Pucelle,  the  Duke  of  Alen$on,  and  the  other  chiefs  of  war, 
they  returned  to  Orleans,  where  they  entered  the  18th  of  June.  The  Con- 
stable and  his  Bretons  remained  at  Beaugency,  where  they  awaited  the 
orders  of  the  king. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    CORONATION. 

THEY  had  supposed  at  first  that  the  king  would  have  paid  a  visit  to 
Orleans,  which  honour  was  in  justice  due  to  a  city  whose  fidelity  had  been 
so  nobly  manifested ;  also  the  citizens  and  priests,  in  anticipation  of  his 
arrival,  had  prepared  the  streets  and  houses  with  the  same  pomp  as  for 
Corpus  Christi  day ;  but  these  good  people  were  disappointed :  the  king 
remained  at  Sully  without  coming  to  Orleans.  From  Sully  he  passed  on 
to  Chateauneuf-sur-Loire,  and  from  that  place  to  Gien  ;  and  as  he  was  sup- 
ported by  a  formidable  army,  he  summoned  the  captains  who  held  the  cities 
of  Bonny,  of  Cosne,  and  of  Charite,  to  return  to  his  allegiance ;  but  this 


58  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

summons  was  useless,  and  the  commanders  of  these  different  places  still 
adhered  to  the  English  interest. 

While  the  king  was  at  Sully,  Joan  went  to  see  him,  and  was  very  joy- 
fully received.  But  great  as  her  influence  was  with  the  king,  and  earnest 
as  were  her  entreaties,  she  was  not  able  to  restore  the  constable  to  his 
favour.  So  powerful  was  the  baleful  influence  of  Tremoi'lle  over  him,  that 
the  king  declared  that  it  was  much  to  his  displeasure  that  he  had  been 
served  at  the  battle  of  Patay  by  a  man  whom  he  regarded  as  his  enemy. 
Other  nobles,  among  whom  was  the  Duke  of  Alen^on,  added  their  entrea- 
ties to  Joan's,  but  with  as  little  effect.  Then  the  constable,  seeing  himself 
so  sternly  repulsed  by  his  sovereign,  resolved  still  to  continue  his  ser- 
vices ;  and  to  further  the  deliverance  of  the  country  from  the  enemy,  he 
had  gone  to  put  the  siege  before  Marchenois. 

When  Charles  VII.  was  at  Gien,  Joan  went  to  see  him  again.  The 
news  of  her  arrival  was,  as  before,  received  with  great  joy  by  the  king, 
and  he  ordered  that  she  should  be  immediately  introduced  to  his  presence. 
Joan  approached  him  with  her  habitual  respect ;  then  kneeling  before  him  : 

"Well  beloved  sovereign,"  said  she,  "you  see  how,  by  the  help  of 
God,  and  your  good  servants,  your  affairs  have  been  conducted  to  the  pre- 
sent, for  which  your  thanks  are  due  to  God  alone,  for  it  is  he  who  has 
done  all.  It  is  necessary  now  for  you  to  prepare  to  make  your  journey  to 
Reims,  that  you  may  be  there  anointed  and  crowned,  according  to  the 
custom  of  your  predecessors  the  kings  of  France.  The  time  is  come,  and 
it  pleases  God  that  the  thing  be  done,  seeing  there  must  a  very  great 
advantage  result  to  you  from  it;  for,  after  your  coronation,  the  considera- 
tion and  honour  of  your  royal  name  will  augment  in  the  eyes  of  your 
people,  and  at  the  same  time  it  will  become  more  formidable  to  your  ene- 
mies. Have  no  fear  of  those  who  hold  the  cities  and  chateaux  in  the 
country  of  Champagne,  through  which  you  have  to  pass,  for  with  the  aid 
of  God  and  your  good  captains,  we  will  conduct  you  in  such  a  manner  that 
you  will  pass  safely.  Assemble,  then,  your  forces,  gentle  Dauphin,  that 
we  may  execute  the  will  of  God." 

However  difficult  the  enterprise  appeared — the  country  through  which 
they  had  to  pass  being  full  of  enemies — the  young  girl,  by  her  pious  con- 
duct and  military  services,  had  acquired  such  an  influence,  that  this  propo- 
sition, coming  from  her,  instantly  became  a  subject  of  consideration, 
whereas,  if  it  had  been  offered  by  the  boldest  and  bravest  chevalier,  it 
would  at  once  have  been  judged  impracticable.  A  lively  discussion  then 
took  place  between  those  who  thought  best  to  follow  the  inspirations  of 
Joan,  and  those  who  wished  to  avail  themselves  of  the  discouragement  of 
the  English  to  carry  the  war  into  Normandy,  the  centre  of  their  power. 
Then  as  each  one  was  maintaining  his  opinion,  the  Duke  of  Alen^on,  who 
was  for  the  coronation,  proposed  in  a  low  tone  to  make  some  new  ques- 
tions to  Joan,  to  satisfy  himself  more  clearly  upon  the  source  of  her  inspi- 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  5iJ 

rations.  The  king  and  several  of  his  counsellors  approved  of  this  pro- 
posal ;  but  they  feared  this  indiscretion  would  displease  the  young  girl ; 
when  Joan  anticipating  their  wishes,  approached  them  : 

"Gentlemen,"  said  she,  "in  God's  name,  do  not  undertake  to  conceal 
anything  from  me,  for  whether  you  speak  loud  or  whether  you  speak  low, 
I  know  what  you  think.  You  wish  me  to  repeat  to  you  what  my  voices 
have  said  to  me  concerning  the  coronation,  and  I  will  tell  you :  I  knelt 
down  to  pray,  in  my  accustomed  manner,  lamenting  that  neither  the  Duke 
of  Alencon  nor  the  Count  of  Dunois  would  believe  me,  when  I  said  the 
king  would  be  anointed  and  crowned  without  any  resistance :  then  the 
voices  said  to  me:  'Daughter  of  God,  go  to  the  gentle  Dauphin  himself, 
go,  go,  and  we  will  aid  thee,'  and  immediately  I  departed ;  for  as  soon  as 
I  hear  these  voices  I  am  filled  with  great  confidence  and  conviction,  and 
as  they  have  never  deceived  me,  I  do  instantly  what  they  order  me."  And 
in  saying  these  words,  Joan  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  and  all  her  counte- 
nance took  the  character  of  sublime  exaltation. 

"  But,"  said  the  king,  partially  convinced,  "  what  if  we  make  the  expe- 
dition to  Normandy  first  and  the  coronation  afterward  ?" 

"The  coronation  first  and  before  all,  gentle  Dauphin,"  replied  Joan; 
"  for  after  that  I  cannot  aid  you  any  more." 

"  Why  so,  Joan?"  demanded  the  king. 

"Because  I  shall  not  last  more  than  a  year,"  said  Joan,  with  a  melan- 
choly shake  of  her  head. 

"  Why,  what  will  happen  to  you  when  that  time  expires,  Joan  ?"  said 
the  king. 

"I  do  not  know,"  replied  she,  "  my  voices  have  not  told  me  ;  I  only 
know  that  my  mission  is  ended  when  I  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  con- 
duct you  to  Reims  to  be  crowned.  Let  us  depart  then,  gentle  Dauphin,  as 
soon  as  possible,  for  it  is  the  will  of  God." 

The  young  girl  spoke  with  such  conviction,  that  by  a  sympathetic 
attraction,  the  strong  confidence  which  she  had  in  God  seemed  to  pass  into 
the  hearts  of  all  the  bystanders.  True,  the  enterprise  was  difficult,  but 
taking  every  thing  into  consideration,  it  was  less  so  than  those  which  she 
had  already  executed  with  success,  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that 
they  would  do  according  to  her  desire,  and  would  depart  instantly  for  the 
city  of  Reims,  without  attempting  to  recover  Normandy,  and  regardless 
even  of  the  cities  of  Casne  and  Charite. 

Consequently  the  king  sent  messengers  over  the  country,  to  invite  the 
captains  who  were  to  accompany  him  in  this  grand  voyage,  and  when  all 
the  company  was  assembled,  after  having  taken  leave  of  the  queen — who 
had  come  from  Bourges  to  Gien  for  that  purpose — and  whom  they  dared 
not  take  with  them  on  account  of  the  perils  of  the  enterprise — he  ordered 
the  fore-guard,  which,  under  the  command  of  La  Pucelle,  was  to  clear  the 
country  through  which  he  was  to  pass,  and  departed  from  Gien  on  St. 


60  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

Peter's  day,  spurring  on  straight  to  Reims,  with  as  much  nonchalance 
as  if  the  country  were  his  own. 

In  fine,  the  king  had  about  him  a  more  powerful  concourse  than  ever; 
for  with  his  good  fortune,  fidelity  returned  to  him  from  all  sides,  and  on 
the  occasion  of  the  coronation,  they  all  hastened  to  him  with  such  eager- 
ness, that  it  was  finally  decided  that  all  those  who  presented  themselves 
should  be  permitted  to  attend  him  to  Reims,  with  the  exception  of  the  con- 
stable, towards  whom  the  king  still  remained  implacable.  Now  as  many 
as  had  received  the  news  of  this  journey  had  repaired  to  the  king,  in  order 
to  become  one  of  the  party ;  and  it  was  regarded  as  such  an  honour,  that 
very  noble  chevaliers,  who  had  been  totally  ruined  by  the  war,  and  had 
not  wherewith  to  redeem  their  war-steeds,  condescended  to  go  in  the  capa- 
city of  archers  or  cutlass-bearers  ;  and  in  all  this  multitude  there  was  not 
one  who  had  the  slightest  doubt  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  so  much 
was  Joan  regarded  at  that  hour  as  a  sainted  and  inspired  virgin.  As  for 
herself,  she  led  the  van,  as  we  have  said,  always  armed  cap-a-pie,  and  sup- 
porting fatigue  like  a  captain  of  war — always  the  first  to  depart  and  the 
last  to  retreat — and  conducting  her  men  in  such  fine  order,  that  Dunois  or 
La  Hire  could  not  have  done  better.  The  discipline  also  which  she  main- 
tained, excited  strong  admiration  and  surprise  in  the  captains  and  soldiers, 
who,  five  months  previous,  had  seen  her  as  she  came  from  her  native  vil- 
lage, a  poor,  little  simple  peasant  girl,  and  who  afterwards  saw  her  con- 
ducting the  affairs  of  the  kingdom,  on  an  equality  with  the  king's  most 
intimate  counsellors ;  and  this  admiration  was  still  further  augmented, 
when  on  approaching  her  they  found  her  so  beautiful  and  so  chaste,  so 
gentle  and  so  modest  in  her  conversation,  and  withal  so  pious,  stopping  at 
all  the  churches  to  pray,  and  at  least  once  a  month,  confessing  and 
receiving  in  communion  the  precious  body  of  our  Saviour. 

On  the  night  of  the  first  day's  march,  Joan  slept  at  a  village  four  leagues 
from  Gien:  this  was  the  distance  that  was  to  be  preserved  throughout  the 
journey,  between  the  van-guard  and  the  main  body  of  the  army — a  conve- 
nient distance  for  maintaining  communication  with  each  other.  The  king 
left  Gien  the  day  after  Joan,  who,  continuing  to  precede  him,  marched 
directly  to  Auxerre.  Auxerre  was  for  the  English,  and  seeing  the  French 
army  approach  their  walls,  the  citizens  sent  a  message  to  the  king,  begging 
him  to  pass  by  and  permit  them  to  pay  to  him  a  contribution.  Joan  would 
hear  nothing  of  it,  saying  that  the  king,  being  in  his  own  dominions,  had 
only  to  give  the  order,  and  the  gates  of  the  city  should  be  opened  :  but  the 
sagacious  citizens  had  already  discovered  the  vulnerable  quarter,  and 
accordingly  addressed  themselves  to  Seigneur  de  la  Tremo'ille,  so  that  the 
wily  and  all-powerful  counsellor  persuaded  the  king  to  renounce  the  siege  ; 
saying  it  would  probably  be  a  protracted  one,  and  cause  them  the  loss  of 
much  precious  time.  The  proposition  of  the  citizens  was  then  accepted, 
and  the  king  received,  in  token  of  submission,  a  trifling  sum,  whilst  it  is 

' 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  61 

affirmed  that  Tremoi'lle  received  for  his  part  more  than  six  thousand  crowns. 
The  captains  of  the  king's  counsel  were  much  dissatisfied  with  this  con- 
cession, and  the  exorbitant  appropriation  of  the  money  which  Tremoille 
made  to  himself,  and  Joan  especially,  who,  at  the  moment  of  departure, 
could  obtain  of  the  back  pay  due  to  her  men  only  a  crown  a-piece,  beheld 
with  indignation  this  usurious  grasping  of  the  money,  of  which  the  poor 
soldiers  had  so  much  need. 

The  king  then  directed  his  course  to  Saint  Florentin,  which  proffered 
to  him  full  and  entire  obedience  :  he  stopped  there  only  to  take  a  little 
repose,  and  after  receiving  the  oath  of  allegiance  from  the  inhabitants,  he 
proceeded  to  Troyes,  which  city  gave  him  much  anxiety,  being  well  de- 
fended by  walls,  and  having  an  English  garrison  of  nearly  a  thousand  men. 

These  fears  of  the  king  were  not  groundless,  for  hardly  was  the  van- 
guard in  sight  of  the  city  when  the  English  bravely  made  a  sortie  and 
offered  battle  to  the  French ;  the  latter,  who  had  not  been  accustomed  to 
such  audacity — especially  since  they  marched  in  company  with  La  Pu- 
celle — rushed  upon  the  assailants  with  such  violence  that  after  a  short 
struggle,  they  were  forced  back  into  the  town. 

Meantime  the  king  arrived  and  encamped  with  his  army  about  the  city, 
hoping  that  upon  this  simple  demonstration  the  English  garrison  would 
capitulate ;  but,  contrary  to  his  expectation,  five  or  six  days  elapsed  with- 
out the  besieged  making  any  reply,  either  to  the  promises  or  threats  which 
were  made  to  them. 

The  situation  was  perplexing,  and  but  for  a  sort  of  miracle  which  was 
accomplished  then,  it  would  have  become  still  more  critical :  four  or  five 
months  before  that  time  a  Franciscan  friar,  named  brother  Richard — who 
was  of  the  king's  party — had  been  preaching  through  the  country,  and 
stayed  some  time  at  Troyes,  and  all  through  Advent  he  ended  every  one  of 
his  sermons  with  these  words :  "  Plant  plenty  of  beans,  my  brethren,  plant 
largely,  remember  it  is  I  who  tell  you,  and  again  I  say,  plant  beans,  for  he 
who  is  to  harvest  them  will  come  shortly."  Now,  as  they  had  great  con- 
fidence in  brother  Richard,  every  one  had  obeyed  this  order,  leaving  to 
God  the  care  of  explaining  the  signification  of  it.  Well,  the  beans  had 
been  planted,  the  beans  had  grown,  the  beans  were  ripe,  and  they  were 
about  commencing  the  harvest,  when  king  Charles  appeared  with  his 
army:  then  it  was  evident  that  he  was  the  reaper  announced,  and  at  the 
same  time  that  the  army,  who  were  short  of  provisions,  blessed  God  for 
finding  thus  a  good  and  wholesome  nourishment — the  people  of  the  city 
whispered  it  among  themselves  that  it  was  a  great  sin  for  Frenchmen  and 
christians  too,  to  defend  themselves  against  a  prince  who  so  evidently  had 
the  Lord  on  his  side;  so  that  notwithstanding  the  haughty  replies  of  the 
English,  there  was  in  the  city  even  a  royalist  party,  who  were  all  ready- 
when  it  should  become  sufficiently  powerful — to  open  the  gales  to  king 
Charles. 

Indeed,  the  king  had  need  that  this  party  should  conquer  its  majority 


62  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

soon ;  for  after  waiting  five  or  six  days,  the  bean  fields,  copious  as  they 
were,  began  to  be  rather  thin  of  beans ;  so  on  the  seventh  day,  the  Dukes 
of  Alen£on  and  of  Bourbon,  the  Count  of  Vendome,  and  several  other  of 
the  noblest  and  wisest  captains  were  convoked  with  the  king,  his  lordship 
the  Bishop  of  Reims,  was  also  present,  and  there  they  held  a  consultation 
upon  what  was  best  to  be  done.  As  for  Joan,  they  had  purposely  removed 
her  from  this  deliberation ;  for  as  it  was  by  her  advice  they  had  been 
drawn  into  this  dilemma,  they  feared  that  her  great  confidence  in  her  reve- 
lations— which  this  time  seemed  to  have  failed  her — would  incline  her  to 
maintain  her  opinion  and  to  urge  the  army  into  a  still  more  critical  position. 

Then  each  one,  emboldened  by  the  absence  of  Joan,  exposed  the  danger 
in  all  its  bearings.  They  could  not  induce  the  peasants  to  bring  them  pro- 
visions by  any  promises  of  payment,  for  they  had  been  so  often  deceived 
before  that  they  resolved  to  bring  nothing  more ;  on  the  other  hand,  the 
army  had  neither  cannons,  bombards,  nor  any  machines  for  carrying  on 
the  siege,  and  the  nearest  town  from  which  they  could  obtain  them  was 
Agin,  and  from  Troyes  to  Agin  was  a  distance  of  thirty  leagues.  These 
difficulties  having  been  well  exposed,  the  king  desired  his  chancellor  to 
take  votes  upon  what  was  to  be  done.  They  were  all  of  the  opinion  that 
it  was  best  to  abandon  the  siege  and  return  behind  the  Loire,  for  they  said 
if  the  king  could  not  enter  a  small  town  like  Auxerre,  he  would  never  be 
able  to  force  Troyes,  which  was  a  large  city,  well  armed  and  well  de- 
fended;  but  when  they  came  to  the  ex-chancellor  Robert  le  Manou.  his 
advice  was,  to  have  patience  and  persevere  :  "  For,"  said  he  "  very  dear 
and  honourable  prince,  you  have  undertaken  this  enterprise,  not  by  any 
faith  you  have  in  human  power,  but  in  the  confidence  with  which  you  had 
been  inspired  by  Joan.  Now,  my  advice  is,  that  this  voyage  having  been 
determined  on  by  the  influence  of  La  Pucelle,  La  Pucelle  ought  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  resolutions  we  shall  form,  in  order  that  she  may  approve  or 
oppose  them." 

As  he  finished  these  words  a  loud  knocking  was  heard  at  the  door;  the 
usher  opened  it,  and  Joan  appeared. 

Then  the  young  girl  advanced  a  few  steps,  and  after  saluting  the  king : 

"  Sire,"  said  she,  "  my  voices  have  told  me  that  important  debates  are 
going  on  here,  and  it  is  for  this  reason  I  am  come :  for  if  the  counsel  of 
men  is  good,  that  of  the  Most  High  is  better." 

"  You  are  welcome,  Joan,"  said  the  chancellor :  "  for  the  king  and  his 
council  are  in  great  perplexity  just  now  regarding  their  future  movements  ;" 
and  he  repeated  to  her  word  for  word  all  that  had  been  said  before  her 
arrival,  openly  exposing  the  advice  of  each  one. 

"  Sire,"  said  Joan,  addressing  herself  to  the  king,  "  shall  I  be  believed  in 
what  I  am  going  to  say  ?" 

"  Joan,"  replied  the  king,  "  have  no  doubt  of  that,  for  if  you  say  things 
possible  and  reasonable  we  will  willingly  believe  you." 

Then  turning  herself  to  the  consellors  : 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  63 

"  Once  more,  gentlemen,"  demanded  she,  "  shall  I  be  believed  ?" 

'*  That  will  depend  on  what  you  say,"  replied  the  chancellor. 

"  Very  good  !  know,  gentle  Dauphin,"  said  Joan,  addressing  herself 
again  to  the  king,  "  that  this  city  is  yours  ;  and  that  if  you  will  remain  but 
two  or  three  days  longer  before  it,  it  will  surrender  itself  to  you  either  by 
force  or  from  affection." 

"  But,"  said  the  king,  "  what  authority  have  you  for  making  me  this 
assurance,  Joan  ?" 

"  Alas  !"  replied  the  young  girl,  "  I  have  no  proof  or  sign,  only  the  pro- 
mise that  my  voices  have  made  me ;  but  it  seems  to  me  my  words  have  been 
verified  often  enough  by  this  time  to  render  my  affirmation  worthy  of  belief; 
especially  when  I  make  so  simple  a  demand  as  only  to  wait  two  or  three 
days." 

"  Joan,"  replied  the  counsellor — after  having  consulted  the  countenances 
of  the  others — "  if  we  were  certain  that  the  city  would  surrender  in  six 
days  we  would  be  willing  to  wait  that  length  of  time  ;  but  who  can  say  if 
what  you  tell  us  is  the  truth  ?" 

"  It  is  the  truth  like  all  that  I  have  said  until  now,"  said  Joan,  with  gentle 
composure. 

"  Well,"  said  the  king,  "  it  shall  be  done  as  you  desire,  Joan ;  but  I 
assure  you  it  is  a  great  responsibility  you  take  upon  yourself." 

"  Give  me  leave  to  act,"  said  Joan,  "  and  I  will  answer  for  the  results." 

"  Do  so,"  said  the  king,  "  for  you  speak  in  such  a  convincing  tone  it  is 
absolutely  irresistible,  and  we  find  ourselves  forced  to  submit  to  your 
counsel." 

Joan  curtsied  low  to  the  king ;  then  leaving  the  council  she  mounted  her 
horse,  took  a  lance,  and  followed  by  her  standard-bearer  she  put  in  requisi- 
tion chevaliers,  esquires,  and  soldiers,  to  carry  fagots,  facines,  beams,  and 
even  doors  and  windows,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  approach  to  the  town,  and 
to  plant  as  near  as  possible  to  the  walls  a  small  bombard  and  some  cannons 
of  middling  caliber,  which  the  army  had  brought  with  them ;  giving  her 
orders  with  as  much  correctness  and  precision  as  if  she  had  done  nothing 
but  command  sieges  all  her  life.  Every  body  regarded  her  movements  with 
astonishment,  especially  the  common  people,  who,  not  having  the  happiness 
to  possess  quite  so  much  science  as  the  great,  are  indemnified  by  an  increased 
ratio  of  faith. 

The  people  of  Troyes,  seeing  the  great  preparations  which  were  making 
against  them,  began  to  assemble  upon  the  walls  and  to  be  rather  clamorous 
in  their  murmurs.  At  that  moment, — either  by  chance  or  as  a  sign  from 
heaven — myriads  of  white  butterflies  came  fluttering  about  Joan's  banner, 
so  numerous  that  they  appeared  like  a  cloud.  At  this  sight  the  citizens 
burst  into  exclamations  of  wonder,  and  declared  to  the  English  that  it  was 
a  sin  against  God  to  resist  her  whom  he  had  sent,  and  that,  whether  it  was 
the  pleasure  of  the  soldiery  or  not,  for  their  part  they  wished  to  hold  a 
parley.  Finally,  the  soldiers  of  the  garrison — fearing  that  they  might  expe- 


64  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

rience  a  similar  fate  to  those  of  Jargan — concluded  to  appoint  some  of  their 
number  to  accompany  the  bishop  and  the  most  notable  citizens,  who  were 
soon  assembled  to  present  themselves  to  King  Charles.  The  same  evening, 
as  Joan  was  continuing  her  preparations,  Charles,  to  his  great  astonishment, 
saw  the  gates  of  the  city  open  and  a  numerous  deputation  advancing  towards 
him. 

The  conditions  which  they  demanded  of  the  king  were  so  reasonable  that 
they  were  instantly  accepted  ;  these  conditions  were,  that  the  soldiery  should 
be  granted  their  lives  and  permission  to  take  their  property  away  with  them, 
and  the  citizens  were  to  surrender  themselves  to  the  obedience  of  the  king. 

The  same  evening  there  was  a  grand  festival  and  great  rejoicing  in  the 
city,  for  the  citizens  could  not  wait  till  the  enemy  was  gone  to  express  their 
joy  in  becoming  true  Frenchmen  once  more ;  and  as  they  knew  that  there 
were  many  in  the  army  who  had  eaten  nothing  but  beans  and  ears  of  wheat 
for  five  or  six  days,  they  sent  to  the  camp  a  good  many  cartloads  of  pro- 
visions, which  were  distributed  among  the  soldiers  ;  and  every  one,  from  the 
king  down  to  the  lowest  soldier,  blessed  Joan  for  having  preserved  her 
confidence  in  God  in  such  a  trying  circumstance,  for  which  he  evidently 
rewarded  her. 

The  next  day  the  English  garrison  issued  at  one  gate  while  the  king's 
archers  entered  by  another  and  ranged  themselves  in  lines  on  each  side  of 
the  streets  through  which  the  garrison  was  to  pass ;  but  at  this  sortie  there 
arose  a  great  dispute ;  the  English  were  determined  to  take  their  prisoners 
with  them,  pretending  that  the  conditions  of  the  treaty  permitted  themselves 
and  their  properly  to  leave  the  city,  and  as  prisoners  of  war  were  the  pro- 
perty of  those  by  whom  they  were  taken  until  the  ransom  was  paid,  they 
ought  of  course  to  be  comprised  under  the  head  of  property.  Joan  main- 
tained on  her  part,  that  they  had  understood  by  properly  only  their  horses, 
arms  and  silver.  They  were  thus  battling  opinions — neither  party  being 
inclined  to  yield — when  King  Charles  sent  to  say  that  if  the  English  would 
put  their  prisoners  at  a  reasonable  price  he  would  pay  the  ransom.  The 
English,  who  had  been  on  the  point  of  losing  them,  now  showed  them- 
selves reasonable  and  obliging,  and  the  king  having  accepted  their  condi- 
tions and  payed  the  required  sum,  the  poor  prisoners  were  so  happy  in 
being  released  that  they  showered  many  heart-felt  blessings  upon  Joan  to 
whom  they  owed  their  liberty  ;  and  the  joy  was  so  much  the  greater  among 
these  unfortunate  men  as  many  of  them  were  poor  Scotchmen,  who  in  their 
own  country  had  no  great  resources,  and  their  resources  were  fewer  still,  as 
we  may  suppose,  when  they  were  five  hundred  leagues  from  home. 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning — all  the  English  having  left  the  town — 
the  king,  lords  and  captains  made  their  entree  magnificently  arrayed.  As 
for  the  common  soldiers,  seeing  the  great  privations  they  had  suffered,  it 
was  feared  they  would  commit  some  depredations  upon  the  citizens  ,  con- 
sequently they  were  left  behind  under  the  conduct  of  Seigneur  de  Lore,  and 


JOAN,  THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN.  65 

as  the  day  before,  the  citizens  sent  them  a  great  number  of  carts  richly  laden 
with  bread,  meat  and  fruits. 

The  day  following,  by  the  desire  of  La  Pucelle — who  seemed  unwilling 
to  take  any  repose  until  after  the  coronation  of  the  king — Charles  VII.  again 
set  forward  on  his  journey  to  Reims ;  then,  in  token  of  possession,  the 
whole  army — which  had  camped  as  we  have  said  outside  the  gates — filed 
off  through  the  city  in  fine  order,  no  disorder  whatever  resulting  from  it. 
The  citizens  on  their  part,  took  an  oath  to  be  good  and  loyal  servants  of  the 
king,  which  oath  they  have  faithfully  kept  ever  since. 

The  king  and  lords,  preceded  as  usual  by  Joan,  rode  on  until  they  came 
to  the  city  of  Chalons  en  Champagne.  During  all  the  route  they  had  had 
some  apprehensions  about  the  reception  they  might  meet  with  in  this  city, 
but  as  they  approached  the  walls  the  king  saw  the  gates  open,  and  the  bishop 
and  notables  of  the  town  advancing  towards  him,  and  desiring  permission  to 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance.  The  king,  as  at  Troyes,  wished  his  army  to 
encamp  beyond  the  walls ;  but  the  citizens  were  so  much  gratified  that  they 
demanded  to  receive  the  soldiers  within  the  city,  and  to  show  them  hospi- 
tality by  feasting  them.  In  quitting  Chalons  the  king  left  there,  as  he  did 
also  at  Troyes,  a  captain,  officers,  and  a  garrison. 

They  met  with  the  same  reception  at  Sept-Saulx,  the  chSteau  of  which 
belonged  to  the  Archbishop  of  Reims,  but  had  been  occupied  by  the  English 
garrison.  This  garrison,  although  commanded  by  two  brave  noblemen, 
allies  of  the  English,  did  not  wish  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  royal  army, 
and  went  away  leaving  the  citizens  free  to  surrender  or  to  defend  them- 
selves ;  the  citizens  were  no  sooner  masters  of  this  liberty  than  they  opened 
the  gates  and  joyfully  welcomed  the  arrival  of  the  king. 

This  city  was  only  four  leagues  from  Reims ;  it  was  then  agreed  that 
they  would  remain  there  that  night  and  take  a  little  repose,  and  the  next 
morning  the  king  was  to  depart  with  the  archbishop  to  receive  his  corona- 
tion ;  many  were  busy  all  night  long,  so  that  every  thing  might  be  in  com- 
plete readiness.  It  was  a  miracle  how  every  necessary  article  was  supplied ; 
among  other  things  the  regal  robes,  so  rich,  beautiful  and  fresh,  as  if  the 
king  had  sent  them  on  in  advance,  though  in  truth  no  one  could  tell  from 
whence  they  came. 

The  abbot  of  St.  Remy  was  the  guardian  of  the  anointing  vessel  of  the 
kings  of  France,  and  it  was  customary  not  to  deliver  it  until  certain  formali- 
ties were  accomplished,  to  perform  which  the  king  appointed  Marshal  Bous- 
sac,  Seigneur  Retz,  Seigneur  Graville,  and  Admiral  Culant ;  the  four  carried 
each  a  banner,  and  being  well  accompanied,  they  repaired  to  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Remy.  On  their  arrival  the  royal  messengers  took  an  oath  to  conduct 
the  abbot  and  the  precious  relic  of  which  he  was  the  bearer  in  safety  to 
Reims,  and  afterwards  to  return  them  safely  to  St.  Remy ;  then  they 
mounted  their  horses  and  each  rode  at  one  corner  of  a  canopy  under  which 
marched  the  abbot,  with  as  much  solemnity  and  devotion  as  if  he  had  held 

5 


66  JOAN,    THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

in  his  hands  the  precious  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  went  on 
thus,  followed  by  a  multitude  of  people,  until  they  came  to  the  church  of 
St.  Denis,  where  they  halted,  and  the  Archbishop  of  Reims,  in  his  clerical 
robes  and  attended  by  his  canons,  came  forward  to  receive  the  anointing 
vessel  from  the  hands  of  the  abbot,  and  carrying  it  into  the  cathedral  he 
laid  it  upon  the  high  altar.  The  four  chevaliers,  to  whose  keeping  it  had 
been  confided,  entered  with  it  into  the  cathedral  still  mounted  upon  their 
horses  and  with  all  their  armour  on,  and  they  did  not  alight  until  they 
reached  the  choir ;  then  they  held  their  bridles  in  the  left  hand,  and  with  the 
right  hand  they  grasped  their  naked  swords. 

Then  came  the  king  magnificently  arrayed,  and  having  pronounced  be- 
tween the  hands  of  the  archbishop  the  accustomed  oaths,  he  knelt  down 
and  was  made  a  chevalier  by  the  Duke  of  Alengon ;  the  archbishop  then 
proceeded  to  the  consecration,  following  from  beginning  to  end  the  ceremo- 
nies and  solemnities  set  forth  in  the  pontifical  book,  so  that  the  ceremony 
lasted  from  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  dur- 
ing all  this  time  La  Pucelle  remained  standing  near  the  king  and  holding  her 
standard  in  her  hand ;  at  length  the  crown  was  laid  upon  the  king's  head, 
and  every  one  shouted :  Noel !  and  as  they  blew  up  the  trumpets  at  the 
same  time  it  seemed  as  if  their  joyous  ringing  acclamations  would  rend  the 
vault  of  the  cathedral. 

The  ceremony  being  ended,  Joan  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  the  king, 
and  embracing  his  knees  :  "  Gentle  king,"  said  she,  "  the  pleasure  of  God 
is  now  fulfilled  ;  you  have  received  your  coronation,  and  thereby  shown  that 
you  are  the  sole  true  king  of  France,  and  that  the  kingdom  rightfully  be- 
longs to  you.  Now  my  mission  is  accomplished,  and  I  have  nothing  further 
to  do  either  in  the  court  or  in  the  army ;  permit  me  then  to  retire  to  my 
native  village  Domremy,  where  I  may  live  with  my  father  and  mother  as 
becomes  a  humble  village  girl ;  if  you  grant  me  this  request,  sire,  I  shall  be 
more  grateful  than  if  you  were  to  name  me  the  greatest  lady  in  France,  after 
the  queen." 

"  Joan,"  replied  the  king,  who  had  for  a  long  time  expected  this  demand, 
"  for  all  that  I  am  this  day  I  am  indebted  to  you  ;  five  months  ago  you  took 
me  poor  and  powerless  at  Chinou,  and  you  have  brought  me  strong  and 
triumphant  to  Reims ;  you  are  then  mistress,  it  is  for  you  to  order  rather 
than  to  request.  But  do  not  leave  me  yet ;  I  am  anointed  and  crowned  it 
is  true  ;  but  to  make  the  ceremony  complete  I  have  yet  to  make  a  pilgrim- 
age to  Corbigny,  where  is,  as  you  know,  the  body  of  the  glorious  St.  Mar- 
coul,  who  is  of  our  race.  Come  with  us  to  Corbigny,  Joan,  and  after  that 
you  may  do  as  you  desire." 

"  Alas  !  alas !"  said  Joan,  "  my  voices  have  told  me  to  depart  this  very 
day ;  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  disobeyed  them,  and  I  fear  some  great 
affliction  will  happen  to  me  for  it." 

The  king  tried  to  soothe  Joan's  apprehensions  ;  but  without  replying  to 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  67 

all  he  could  say  she  continued  to  be  melancholy  and  desponding;  so  that 
when  she  came  out  of  the  cathedral  which  she  had  entered  so  triumphantly 
she  had  the  air  of  a  condemned  malefactor.  On  arriving  at  the  door,  how- 
ever, she  raised  her  head  and  uttered  a  cry  of  joy,  for  she  had  recognized  in 
the  crowd  her  young  brother  Pierre,  who  had  stolen  away  from  Domremy, 
and  had  come  all  the  way  to  Reims  to  see  if  that  extraordinary  woman,  who 
was  the  theme  of  all  France,  was  really  his  own  sister  Joan.  Joan  threw 
herself  into  his  arms, — for,  as  we  know,  Pierre  was  her  dearly  beloved 
brother — and  passed  the  whole  day  with  him,  talking  of  her  parents,  of  the 
old  curate,  and  every  body  in  the  village.  Pierre  told  her  that  they  loaded 
her  with  blessings,  and  chanted  her  praises  as  if  she  were  really  a  saint  and 
in  paradise. 

In  the  evening  the  king  sent  for  the  young  man,  and  Joan  vainly  waited 
for  his  return  until  ten  o'clock,  when,  being  overcome  with  fatigue,  she 
retired  to  bed.  The  next  morning,  on  awaking,  the  first  person  she  saw 
was  the  lad  richly  dressed  as  a  page :  he  came  to  announce  to  his  sister  that 
he  should  thenceforward  be  one  of  her  attendants,  and  in  order  that  he 
might  be  the  equal  of  Imerget  and  Chevalier  Daulon,  the  king  had  granted 
to  her  and  to  all  her  family  letters  patent  of  nobility  as  well  as  the  most 
beautiful  coat  of  arms  in  all  the  army.  It  was  an  escutcheon  of  azure  and 
two  flower-de-luces  of  gold,  and  a  silver  sword  with  a  golden  hilt,  the  point 
of  the  blade  tipped  with  steel  in  a  crown  of  gold. 

"Alas  !  alas  !"  repeated  Joan,  drawing  a  deep  sigh,  "  would  to  God  he 
had  been  pleased  to  let  me  remain  a  simple  peasant  girl,  that  I  had  never 
borne  any  other  sword  than  my  shepherd's  crook,  and  that  the  only  crowns 
I  had  ever  touched  had  been  the  crowns  of  flowers  I  used  to  hang  upon  the 
branches  of  the  fairies'  tree,  or  deposit  upon  the  altar  in  the  poor  church  at 
Domremy." 

Joan,  who  felt  as  if  her  career  was  near  its  close,  and  that  her  spirit 
would  soon  leave  her  body,  again  made  some  attempts  to  depart;  but  her 
retreat  under  the  then  existing  circumstances,  when  her  influence  over  the 
army  was  at  its  acme,  appeared  so  fatal  a  thing,  that  the  king's  council 
assembled,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they  would  remonstrate  with  Joan  upon 
the  impropriety  of  taking  her  departure  at  that  time,  when  the  consequences 
of  it  might  prove  so  disastrous ;  but  the  king  did  not  wish  to  commit  to 
another  the  care  of  so  important  a  negotiation  ;  he  therefore  summoned  her 
into  his  presence,  and  besought  her  in  his  own  name  and  in  the  name  of 
the  soldiers,  not  to  quit  the  army,  saying  that  she  was  the  guardian  angel 
of  France,  and  if  she  went  away,  the  good  fortune  of  the  kingdom  would 
depart  also.  Joan  sighed  heavily,  and  seemed  to  hesitate  a  long  time ;  at 
length,  as  Charles  renewed  his  entreaties  :  "  Gentle  king,"  said  she,  "it 
is  not  for  a  poor  girl  like  me  to  struggle  against  the  will  of  a  powerful 
prince  like  you :  let  it  be  as  you  desire,  and  God  direct  whatever  may 
befall  me." 


68  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

The  same  evening,  Charles  VII.  joyfully  announced  to  his  council  that 
La  Pucelle  had  decided  to  remain. 

Joan  having  resolved  to  again  enter  that  turmoil  of  war  and  politics, 
which  she  would  so  gladly  have  renounced  forever,  and  having  seen  with 
great  grief  that  place,  which — in  his  triple  title  of  peer  of  the  realm,  for 
Flanders,  Artois  and  Burgundy — the  Duke  Philip  had  left  vacant  at  the 
coronation  of  the  king,  she  sent  the  same  evening  for  brother  Pasquerel, 
who  served  her  as  a  secretary,  and  dictated  to  him,  for  the  noble  Duke,  the 
following  letter,  which  she  signed  with  her  cross. 

After  writing  this  letter,  Joan  remained  four  days  longer  at  Reims : 
during  these  four  days  a  Scotchman  painted  her  portrait.  She  was  repre- 
sented as  being  wholly  armed,  kneeling  upon  one  knee  and  presenting  a 
letter  to  the  king.  This  is,  according  to  Joan's  own  statement,  the  only 
picture  that  was  ever  made  of  her. 


;  Jhesus  Maria : 


t 


High  and  redoubtable  prince,  Duke  Philip  of  Burgundy,  Joan  La  Pu- 
celle requires,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  heaven,  her  rightful  Lord  and 
Sovereign,  that  the  king  of  France  and  you,  make  a  good  strong  peace, 
that  will  last  a  long  time.  Pardon  each  other  from  the  bottom  of  your 
hearts,  entirely,  as  loyal  Christians  ought  to  do,  and  if  it  pleases  you  to 
make  war,  go  and  make  it  upon  the  Saracens.  Prince  of  Burgundy,  I 
pray,  beseech  and  require  you,  as  humbly  as  I  can  require,  that  you  will 
war  no  longer  in  the  sacred  kingdom  of  France  ;  and  that  you  will  with- 
draw immediately  and  directly,  your  people  which  are  in  any  of  the  places 
and  fortresses  of  the  said  kingdom.  On  the  part  of  the  gentle  king  of 
France,  he  is  ready  to  make  peace  with  you,  saving  his  honour.  And  I 
assure  you,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  heaven,  my  rightful  Lord  and  Sove- 
reign, for  your  own  good  and  your  own  honour,  that  you  will  gain  no 
battle  against  the  loyal  French,  and  that  all  those  who  war  against  the  said 
kingdom  of  France,  war  against  the  King  Jhesus,  King  of  heaven  and  all 
the  world.  And  I  require  you,  and  beseech  you  with  clasped  hands,  that 
you  would  make  no  battle  or  war  against  us,  neither  you,  your  soldiers  or 
your  subjects.  Believe,  surely,  that  whatever  number  of  people  you  bring 
against  us,  they  will  gain  nothing :  and  it  will  be  a  great  pity  to  see  how 
much  blood  will  be  shed  of  those  who  come  against  us.  It  is  now  three 
weeks  since  I  wrote  and  sent  to  you  good  letters  by  a  herald,  in  order  that 
you  might  be  at  the  coronation  of  the  king,  which  took  place  yesterday, 
on  Sunday  the  17th  day  of  this  present  month  of  July,  in  the  city  of  Reims. 
I  have  had  no  reply,  and  have  never  since  heard  any  news  of  the  herald. 

I  recommend  you  to  God,  and  pray  him  to  establish  a  good  peace. 
Written  at  the  said  place  of  Reims,  on  the  18th  of  July." 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  69 

CHAPTER    IX. 

THE    SWORD   OF    ST.  CATHARINE    DE    FIERBOIS. 

FROM  Reims  the  king  repaired  to  Corbigny,  there  to  pay  his  devotions  at 
the  tomb  of  the  blessed  St.  Marcoul.  This  last  formality  of  his  corona- 
tion being  accomplished  he  determined  to  make  an  approach  towards  Paris, 
by  entering  that  province  which  surrounds  the  capital,  and  which  to  this 
day  is  called  the  "  Isle  of  France."  T,he  moment  for  this  expedition  was 
well  chosen  ;  the  Regent  Duke  of  Bedford  had  gone  to  meet  some  troops 
which  had  been  sent  to  him  by  the  Cardinal  of  Winchester ;  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  always  wavering  between  a  rupture  with  England  and  an  accom- 
modation with  France,  had  withdrawn  his  forces  from  Picardy ;  in  fine,  the 
Dukes  of  Lorraine  and  of  Bar,  and  the  Seigneur  of  Commercy,  who  were 
formerly  the  allies  of  the  English,  had  voluntarily  come  to  rejoin  the  king 
during  his  triumphant  march  to  Reims,  and  had  renewed  to  him  their  oath 
of  allegiance. 

When  the  king  reached  Vailly,  a  small  town  within  four  leagues  of  Sois- 
sons,  he  learned  that  every  thing  concurred  in  his  favour.  Chateau-Thierry, 
Provins,  Coulommiers,  Crecy-en-Brie,  had  all  surrendered  merely  at  the 
summons  of  his  captains.  Soissons  and  Laon,  summoned  in  their  turn  in 
the  king's  name  and  by  the  king  himself,  soon  followed  the  example ;  Sois- 
sons especially  manifested  so  strong  a  desire  to  receive  him,  that  he  went 
there  immediately  to  satisfy  the  joyful  impatience  of  the  inhabitants.  From 
Soissons  he  passed  on  to  Chateau-Thierry,  and  finally  from  Chateau- 
Thierry  to  Provins,  where,  having  received  news  of  the  approach  of  the 
English,  he  remained  some  days. 

At  length,  on  the  24th  of  July,  the  Duke  of  Bedford  entered  Paris  with 
the  new  troops  which  had  been  sent  over  by  the  Cardinal  of  Winchester, 
so  that  he  could  then  command  about  twelve  thousand  combatants,  and  with 
this  force  he  was  advancing  to  attack  the  French  army.  He  passed  through 
Corbeil  and  Melun,  and  halted  at  Montereau,  where  only  a  few  leagues  sepa- 
rated the  two  armies. 

At  Provins  the  king  received  a  letter  from  the  English  regent.  This  letter, 
which  was  delivered  to  him  by  a  herald  who  bore  the  same  name  as  his 
master,  contained  a  challenge.  The  Regent  offered  to  King  Charles  VII. 
to  settle  their  long  and  bloody  quarrel  by  one  single  battle.  The  letter,  as 
we  may  suppose,  was  received  with  great  joy  by  Charles  and  the  brilliant 
chivalry  which  attended  him,  so  that  after  lavishing  many  attentions  upon 
the  English  herald  the  king  sent  for  him,  and  taking  off  the  rich  chain  which 
he  wore  upon  his  own  neck,  he  presented  it  to  him,  saying: 

"  Go  tell  your  master  that  he  will  have  no  trouble  in  finding  me,  for  that 
I  have  come  from  Reims  for  the  express  purpose  of  meeting  him." 

Then  the  king  advanced  half  the  distance  which  separated  him  from  his 


70  JOAN,    THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

enemy,  and  having  found  a  convenient  place  for  the  disposal  of  his  troops 
he  resolved  to  await  the  approach  of  the  English.  As  soon  as  they  en- 
camped they  all  applied  themselves  diligently  1o  fortify  their  position,  and 
it  was  surprising  how  La  Pucelle  maintained  her  standing  among  all  those 
brave  experienced  captains,  making  such  useful  suggestions  that  even  the 
Duke  of  Alen$on,  Dunois  and  La  Hire,  sometimes  adopted  her  plans  in 
preference  to  their  own.  Nevertheless  it  was  evident  that  if  her  courage 
was  undiminished  her  faith  had  abandoned  her.  When  she  was  asked  if  it 
was  best  to  combat,  she  replied  : 

"  Without  doubt  we  must  persevere  and  march  forward." 

But  she  no  longer  said  in  her  former  tone  of  assurance, 

"  March  !  march !  the  King  of  Heaven  is  on  our  side,  and  hejwill  give  us 
the  victory !" 

With  her  hope  still  lingered,  but  her  faith  was  gone. 

As  for  the  Duke  of  Bedford  he  was  still  in  his  camp — which  was  well 
chosen  and  well  fortified — hoping  that  the  king  of  France  would  be  so 
much  exasperated  by  the  menacing  tone  of  his  letter  that  he  would  come  to 
attack  him.  there ;  but  when  he  saw  that  Charles  contented  himself  with 
advancing  half  way,  and  was  likewise  disposed  to  await  the  attack  behind 
his  retrenchments,  he  dared  not  give  him  that  advantage ;  and  as  he  was  per- 
petually apprehensive  that  some  revolt  might  burst  out  in  the  capital,  he 
abandoned  his  camp  and  retook  the  road  to  Paris. 

The  king,  seeing  his  design  upon  the  capital  thus  parried  by  the  precipi- 
tate return  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford  and  his  reinforcement  of  troops,  thought 
proper  to  assemble  his  council.  The  French  regarded  their  late  successes 
with  feelings  of  astonishment,  but  did  not  attribute  them  to  any  superiority 
of  their  own ;  thus,  their  confidence  in  themselves  not  being  heightened, 
their  dread  of  the  English  remained  undiminished,  and  the  majority  of  the 
council  were  disposed  to  make  a  retreat  upon  the  Loire.  As  usual  they 
consulted  Joan,  but  she  merely  replied  that  she  thought  they  had  better 
march  towards  Paris,  for  she  knew  that  the  king  would  effect  an  entrance 
there,  but  she  could  not  tell  when  ;  and  as  she  held  herself  responsible  for 
nothing  since  the  day  of  the  coronation,  she  had  no  influence  in  determining 
an  opinion  contrary  to  that  which  had  already  been  taken. 

Accordingly,  couriers  were  dispatched  over  the  country  to  reconnoitre  the 
environs,  and  to  ascertain  by  what  route  the  king  might  regain  Gien.  Some 
of  the  couriers  returned  the  day  after  their  departure,  and  said  that  there  was 
a  small  village  named  Bray-sur-Seine,  where  there  was  a  fine  bridge  over 
which  the  king  and  his  army  could  pass,  and  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
village  had  promised  to  yield  to  the  king  both  obedience  and  passage.  The 
army  then,  victorious  as  it  was,  began  to  beat  a  retreat  as  if  it  had  been  con- 
quered, when,  on  arriving  within  sight  of  the  village,  they  learned  that  a 
strong  detachment  of  English  had  taken  possession  of  it  the  night  before. 
Of  those  who  were  sent  to  assure  themselves  of  this  fact  some  were  taken 
and  others  robbed. 


JOAN.    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 


71 


The  passage  was  then  impracticable ;  and  in  the  days  of  their  adversity 
this  obstruction  would  have  been  regarded  as  a  reverse,  but  since  God  had 
so  signally  declared  himself  for  France  it  was  welcomed  as  a  miraculous 
favour.  The  Dukes  of  Alen^on,  of  Bourbon,  and  of  Bar :  the  Counts  of 
Vendome  and  of  Laval,  Dunois  and  La  Hire,  in  fine  all  the  chiefs  who  had 
been  in  favour  of  proceeding  to  Paris,  were  delighted  with  this  contre-temps, 
and  being  seconded  by  the  circumstance  they  recovered  all  the  influence 
which  for  a  moment  they  had  lost  by  the  hesitation  of  Joan ;  so  that  a  con- 
trary resolution  was  instantly  adopted,  and  the  same  day  they  retraced  their 
steps  and  continued  their  march  to  within  a  short  distance  of  Dammartin, 
where  they  encamped  in  the  open  field. 

They  were  now  but  ten  leagues  from  Paris,  and  every  thing  appeared  to 
favour  King  Charles  VII. ;  wherever  he  appeared  the  people  came  throng- 
ing to  meet  him,  shouting  Noe'l!  and  chanting  Te  Deum  Laudamus.  This 
universal  enthusiasm  at  times  restored  to  Joan  her  former  vigour,  but  still 
her  mind  was  never  exempt  from  a  tinge  of  melancholy  which  indicated 
that  the  Lord  was  no  longer  there  to  support  her. 

"  In  the  name  of  God,"  said  she  to  Dunois  and  the  Chancellor,  who 
usually  rode  near  her,  "  here  is  a  good,  loyal  and  devoted  people,  and  when 
my  time  comes  to  die  I  hope  it  will  be  in  this  country." 

Then  the  Count  of  Dunois  said  to  her : 

"  Joan,  do  you  know  when  and  where  you  are  going  to  die  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Joan  ;  "  I  do  not  know  exactly  when  I  shall  die,  but  I 
know  the  moment  of  my  death  cannot  be  far  distant,  for  I  have  accomplished 
the  mission  to  which  my  Lord  appointed  me  ;  and  would  to  God  I  could  now 
return  to  my  father  and  mother,  and  again  watch  their  flocks  as  in  former 
days." 

Those  who  heard  Joan  utter  such  sentiments  were  more  than  ever  per- 
suaded that  she  came  from  God,  and  as  she  herself  said,  that  she  would 
soon  return  to  God. 

This  new  movement  of  the  king  having  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Duke  of  Bedford,  he  set  out  from  Paris  with  all  the  troops  he  could  muster 
to  come  to  the  encounter.  While  Charles  was  encamped  before  Dammar- 
tin,  he  learned  that  the  Duke  of  Bedford  had  arrived  at  Mitry,  and  was 
encamped  behind  the  mountain  upon  which  was  situated  the  city  which 
separated  them. 

Then  the  king  immediately  set  his  army  in  battle  array  and  chose  couriers 
who,  under  the  orders  of  La  Hire,  were  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy.  La 
Hire  acquitted  himself  in  this  mission  with  his  usual  audacity ;  he  had  been 
within  bow-shot  of  the  English  army,  had  examined  every  thing,  and  was 
convinced  that  it  would  be  the  height  of  imprudence  for  the  king  to  attack 
the  enemy  in  their  present  position.  The  king  concluded  to  abide  by  the 
counsel  of  La  Hire,  and  wait  for  the  enemy  to  come  out  of  their  camp ; 
but  he  waited  in  vain,  and  the  next  day  he  was  informed  that  the  Duke  of 


72  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

Bedford  had  returned  to  Paris,  where  he  had  just  been  reinforced  by  the 
arrival  of  four  thousand  men. 

The  king  then  retired  to  Crespy-en-Valois,  which  was  a  well  defended 
city,  and  from  thence  he  sent  a  summons  to  Compiegne  to  surrender.  As 
in  the  other  cities  this  summons  was  instantly  obeyed.  The  citizens  sent  a 
reply  to  Charles,  saying  that  they  were  impatiently  waiting  for  him  and 
would  receive  him  with  great  pleasure ;  the  citizens  of  Beauvais  seeing 
this,  did  still  better,  for  scarcely  were  the  heralds  in  sight  when  they  began 
to  shout :  "  Long  live  Charles  VII !  long  live  the  King  of  France  !"  and 
sending  away  their  bishop,  Pierre  Cauchon,  who  was  furious  for  the  Eng- 
lish, they  opened  their  gates  without  even  awaiting  the  summons. 

Senlis  yet  remained  under  the  dominion  of  the  English,  and  the  king  did 
not  wish  to  leave  it  in  that  state  in  case  he  should  make  another  advance 
upon  the  capital.  He  accordingly  proceeded  to  Baron,  a  village  about  two 
leagues  from  this  city,  with  the  design  of  assailing  it  the  next  day ;  but  on 
his  arrival  he  learned  that  the  Duke  of  Bedford  had  again  left  Paris  with  the 
four  thousand  men  before  mentioned.  But  by  this  time  it  became  known 
that  these  four  thousand,  which  were  led  by  the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  had 
been  raised  at  the  Pope's  expense  for  the  purpose  of  marching  against  the 
Bohemians,  and,  by  a  strange  abuse  of  authority,  they  were  conducted 
against  the  Catholics.  Moreover  this  proved  the  degree  of  weakness  to 
which  the  English  were  reduced,  when,  in  order  to  fortify  themselves  with 
so  slender  a  reinforcement  they  had  gone  so  far  as  to  trifle  with  sacred 
things. 

But  whether  they  were  originally  intended  to  combat  Bohemians  or 
French,  nevertheless  they  were  then  advancing  towards  the  French  army, 
and  the  king  ordered  Ambroise  de  Lore  and  Zantrailles  to  mount  their 
horses  and  to  reconnoitre  their  numbers  and  intentions.  The  two  chevaliers 
immediately  equipped  themselves,  and  choosing  twenty  of  their  best  mounted 
men  they  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  Senlis,  and  when  they  reached  there 
they  perceived  that  the  air  was  darkened  by  a  cloud  of  dust  which  seemed 
to  reached  the  sky.  They  instantly  despatched  a  courier  to  the  king  to 
apprise  him  of  what  they  had  seen,  promising  to  send  another  messenger 
as  soon  as  they  were  certain  whether  it  was  the  Duke  of  Bedford's  army  or 
not,  advising  him  however  to  keep  constantly  on  his  guard.  The  recon- 
noitring party  boldly  advanced  so  near  that  they  recognized  the  whole 
English  army  marching  directly  upon  Senlis.  Then,  as  they  had  promised, 
they  despatched  a  second  rider  to  the  king  with  this  news,  and  there  being 
too  little  space  for  action  in  Baron,  the  king  ordered  his  troops  into  the  open 
fields,  between  the  river  which  passes  Baron  and  the  tower  of  Montepilloy. 
The  Duke  of  Bedford  arrived  at  Senlis  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
and  commenced  crossing  the  stream  on  the  bank  of  which  the  French  troops 
were  ranged.  Ambroise  de  Lore  and  Zantrailles — who  had  kept  along  side 
of  the  enemy  until  then — now  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  galloped  away 

irttftM}  lityui  e  if  I ' 


JOAN,   THE   HEROIC   MAIDEN.  73 

to  the  king  to  advise  him  to  attack  the  English  whilst  they  were  occupied 
with  their  passage.  The  counsel  appeared  good  to  Charles,  and  he  gave 
orders  to  march  against  them.  But  whatever  diligence  the  king  made,  the 
regent  made  still  greater,  and  by  the  time  the  van-guard  of  the  French 
reached  the  place  the  English  had  effected  their  passage  and  put  themselves 
in  battle  array.  As  it  was  almost  night  both  armies  encamped  where  they 
were,  the  English  on  the  bank  of  the  Nonnette  and  the  French  at  Monte- 
pilloy.  The  same  evening  there  was  a  little  skirmishing  between  the  scouts 
of  the  two  parties,  but  without  producing  any  important  results  for  either. 

The  next  morning,  at  the  break  of  day,  the  king  disposed  his  forces  for 
action ;  the  van-guard  was  commanded  by  the  Duke  of  Ale^on  and  the 
Count  of  Vendome ;  the  main  body  of  the  army  was  under  the  orders  of 
the  Dukes  of  Bar  and  of  Lorraine ;  a  third  corps,  forming  the  wing  of  the 
army,  was  commanded  by  Marshal  Broussac  and  Marshal  Retz  ;  Seigneur 
Graville  and  a  Limosin  chevalier,  named  John  Foucault,  led  the  archers ; 
finally,  a  rear  guard,  destined  to  render  assistance  in  any  quarter  where  it 
should  be  needed,  was  commanded  by  the  Bastard  of  Orleans,  Seigneur 
d'Albret,  Joan  la  Pucelle,  and  La  Hire  ;  as  for  the  king  he  took  no  com- 
mand, but  remained  aside,  having  for  his  guard  the  Duke  of  Bourbon,  Seig- 
neur Tremoille  and  a  good  number  of  brave  chevaliers. 

The  king's  impatience  to  attack  was  extreme ;  he  passed  and  repassed 
the  front  of  the  French  army  with  the  Count  of  Clermont  and  Seigneur 
Tremoille,  to  ascertain  in  what  quarter  the  enemy  was  vulnerable ;  but  the 
science  habitual  to  the  English  had  not  failed  them  on  this  occasion ;  the 
Duke  of  Bedford  had  chosen  an  almost  impregnable  position  near  the  Abbey 
of  Victory,  which  was  founded  by  Philip  Augustus  after  the  battle  of  Bou- 
vines ;  the  flanks  of  his  army  were  defended  by  hedges  and  ditches ;  the 
river  and  a  large  pond  protected  it  on  the  rear,  and  along  the  front  sharp 
stakes  were  set  as  close  as  a  palisade,  and  behind  these  stakes  were  those 
terrible  English  archers  who — in  showing  the  twelve  arrows  contained  in 
their  quivers — boasted  that  they  each  carried  the  death  of  twelve  men. 

At  the  epoch  when  Joan  was  inspired,  in  the  days  of  Orleans,  of  Jargan, 
and  of  Patay,  the  sight  of  La  Pucelle,  with  her  waving  banner,  would  have 
been  sufficient  to  draw  the  army  on  to  battle  and  to  victory  ;  but  Joan  was 
the  soul  of  the  army,  and  confidence  in  abandoning  her  abandoned  also  the 
army,  so  that  the  chiefs  having  assembled  in  council,  decided  that  the  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy  was  too  strong  to  venture  an  attack,  and  that  there  was 
danger  of  losing  in  a  single  day  the  fruits  of  all  his  former  conquests.  They 
then  offered  battle  to  the  English  if  they  would  come  out;  but  the  English, 
on  their  side,  were  no  longer  the  men  of  Crevent,  Verneuil,  and  of  Bou- 
yray,  and  they  replied  that  they  were  ready  to  combat  but  should  wait  until 
they  were  attacked  in  their  camp ;  consequently  that  day  passed,  as  the  pre- 
ceding, unmarked  by  any  event  except  a  few  slight  skirmishes  between  the 
bravest  of  the  two  armies. 

The  night  passed  on  the  side  of  the  French  in  the  expectation  of  a  de- 


74  JOAN,  THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

cisive  affair  for  the  next  day,  for  they  had  been  informed  by  a  prisoner, 
that  the  Seigneurs  of  Croy,  of  Creguy,  of  Bethune,  of  Fosseuse,  of  Lan- 
noy,  of  Lalaing,  and  the  Bastard  of  Saint  Paul — Burgundian  gentlemen, 
who  adhered  to  the  party  of  the  Duke  Philip,  and  were  serving  in  the 
English  army — had  been  made  chevaliers  by  the  Duke  of  Bedford — a 
thing  which  rarely  happened  except  on  the  eve  of  a  battle.  Every  prepa- 
ration was  then  made  for  the  coming  contest,  but  great  was  their  surprise 
in  the  morning,  when  they  perceived  that  the  English  had  quitted  their 
camp  during  the  night  and  were  on  their  return  to  the  capital. 

In  effect,  the  Duke  of  Bedford  had  received  very  sad  news :  the  con- 
stable whom  the  king  would  not  suffer  in  his  presence,  had  nevertheless 
continued  his  services  to  him,  and  having  entered  Maine,  he  had  taken 
Ramefort,  Malcione,  and  Gallerand,  and  was  said  to  be  marching  upon 
Evreux.  Thus  the  English  found  themselves  menaced  in  the  very  heart 
of  Normandy.  The  return  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford  to  Paris  was  not  inop- 
portune, for  on  his  arrival  he  heard  of  the  reduction  of  five  new  cities. 
Moreover,  the  Duke  of  Burgundy — being  softened  by  the  letter  of  La 
Pucelle — had  consented  to  receive  ambassadors  at  Arras,  and  in  the  open- 
ing of  August  the  first  conferences  took  place.  There  was  no  time  to  be 
lost  on  the  part  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  if  he  wished  to  offer  opposition  to 
all  the  dangers  that  threatened  him  ;  so,  leaving  two  thousand  five  hundred 
men  at  Paris,  he  distributed  the  rest  in  Normandy,  and  hastened  to  Rouen. 

The  king  again  seeing  the  enemy  elude  him,  and  not  knowing  the  cause 
of  his  return  to  Paris,  instead  of  pursuing  the  Duke — which  would  have 
thrown  him  into  great  embarrassment — he  left  Montepilloy  and  proceeded 
directly  to  Compiegne,  where  he  was  received  by  the  citizens  with  great 
enthusiasm.  The  king  appointed  a  gentleman  of  Picardy,  named  William 
de  Flavy,  to  be  their  governor  and  captain ;  and  having  learned  that  the 
people  of  Senlis — supposing  themselves  abandoned  by  the  Duke  of  Bed- 
ford— were  desirous  of  submitting  themselves  to  him,  he  hastened  on  to 
that  city  where  he  slept  the  night  of  the  same  day  in  which  he  left  Com- 
piegne. 

During  the  few  days  that  the  king  sojourned  at  Compiegne  a  great 
event  took  place.  In  reply  to  the  overtures  of  Arras,  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy had  sent  ambassadors  to  Compiegne:  these  ambassadors  were  John 
of  Luxemburg,  the  Bishop  of  Arras,  the  Seigneurs  of  Brimeux,  and 
Charny ;  and  upon  the  first  exchange  of  conditions  a  truce  had  been  con- 
cluded. One  of  the  conditions  of  this  truce  was  that  the  English  should 
be  admitted  to  treat;  the  king  had  consented  to  it,  and  demanded  in  return, 
that  those  princes  who  had  been  prisoners  in  England  for  fifteen  years, 
should  be  put  at  a  ransom.  This  truce,  for  which  the  king  was  indebted 
to  Joan,  and  which  he  anxiously  hoped  might  be  the  preliminary  of  a 
peace,  was  however  but  partial ;  it  extended  over  all  the  country  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Seine,  from  Nogent  to  Honfleur — Paris  and  the  cities 


JOAN,  THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  75 

serving  as  passage  upon  the  river  being  excepted — the  king  having  a  right 
to  attack  and  the  duke  to  defend  them. 

Whilst  these  conditions  were  being  discussed  at  Compiegne — La  Hire, 
who  had  nothing  to  do  with  politics,  and  whose  active  temperament  could 
not  endure  repose — had  gone  with  a  few  bold  companions  in  search  of  war- 
like adventures,  and  they  had  scoured  away  so  far  that  they  found  them- 
selves one  morning  in  face  of  the  fortress  of  Uhateau-Gaillard,  seven 
leagues  from  Rouen.  As  it  was  scarcely  dawn,  and  Kingston,  the  com- 
mander had  no  fear  of  being  attacked,  knowing  the  French  to  be  more  than 
twenty  leagues  distant,  La  Hire  had  time  to  take  possession  of  one  of  the 
gates  before  the  English  could  offer  any  resistance  :  he  put  to  profit  this 
first  advantage  by  summoning  the  governor  to  surrender.  The  governor 
seeing  himself  thus  taken  unawares,  and  being  ignorant  of  the  number  of 
the  assailants,  merely  demanded  his  life,  with  great  fear  of  not  obtaining 
even  that.  La  Hire  granted  his  demand,  and  great  was  the  astonishment 
of  the  governor  as  he  beheld  the  entrance  of  the  little  troop  of  conquerors  ; 
the  English  garrison  was  numerically  double  in  strength  to  those  to  whom 
they  had  surrendered.  Kingston,  however,  adhered  not  the  less  to  his 
word  ;  he  surrendered  the  chateau  and  all  it  contained,  according  to  the 
stipulation  which  had  been  made,  and  took  his  departure.  La  Hire  soon 
installed  himself  in  his  place  and  dignity. 

As  he  was  taking  his  breakfast,  they  came  to  tell  him  that  they  had 
found  in  a  basement  room  a  French  prisoner  shut  up  in  an  iron  cage  ;  La 
Hire  left  his  breakfast  and  ran  down  to  see  the  captive,  but  he  was  so  much 
changed  he  could  not  recognize  him.  It  was  the  noble  and  brave  Lord 
Barbazan,  who  had  been  taken  nine  years  before  at  Melun,  and  had  ever 
since  been  confined  in  this  cage,  even  the  door  of  which  was  riveted  for 
fear  he  might  effect  his  escape.  La  Hire  instantly  broke  the  bars.  Al- 
though he  saw  this  way  of  escape  open  before  him,  the  old  chevalier  shook 
his  head  and  sat  down  in  a  corner,  declaring  that  he  had  promised  the 
governor  to  be  his  loyal  prisoner,  and  so  long  as  he  was  not  absolved  from 
this  promise,  nothing  in  the  world  could  induce  him  to  leave  his  cage.  La 
Hire  in  vain  assured  him  that  Kingston  had  surrendered  the  chateau  and 
all  it  contained,  and  that  consequently  he  must  be  included  in  the  capitula- 
tion; Barbazan  replied  that  it  might  be  so,  but  he  should  nevertheless 
remain  where  he  was  until  he  was  disengaged  from  his  promise.  La  Hire 
was  then  obliged  to  send  for  Kingston,  who  returned  to  deliver  Barbazan 
and  relieve  him  of  his  word.  La  Hire  left  a  garrison  at  Chateau-Gaillard 
and  returned  to  the  king  with  the  old  chevalier,  who  had  retaken  his  arms 
and  was  dying  with  impatience  to  make  use  of  them.  They  found  the 
king  at  Senlis,  and  the  brave  lord  Barbazan  was  received  by  him  and  his 
captains  with  great  joy,  for  not  having  heard  him  mentioned  for  so  long  a 
time  they  had  given  him  up  for  dead. 

The  king  had  just  received  news  of  the  departure  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford 
for  Rouen,  and  he  resolved  to  avail  himself  of  his  absence  by  making  an 


76  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

approach  upon  Paris :  the  reinforcement  of  the  two  brave  chevaliers  con- 
firmed him  in  this  resolution,  and  having  learned  that  his  van-guard  had 
penetrated  as  far  as  Saint  Denis,  he  set  out  in  his  turn,  and  arrived  at  that 
ancient  seat  of  royalty  on  the  29th  of  August.  Scarcely  had  he  appeared, 
when  all  the  adjacent  cities  surrendered :  Creil,  Chantilly,  Gournay-sur- 
Aronde,  Luzarches,  Choisy,  and  Lagny,  performed  their  acts  of  obedience  ; 
finally,  the  Seigneurs  of  Montmorency  and  of  Mouy  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance. 

All  went  on  prosperously ;  success  seemed  to  crown  every  project  un- 
dertaken by  Charles.  At  Saint  Denis,  La  Pucelle  again  sought  the  king, 
and  kneeling  before  him  she  implored  him — as  he  no  longer  needed  her 
assistance — to  let  her  depart,  saying  with  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  that 
she  was  certain  she  could  no  more  be  useful  to  him,  and  that  her  voices 
had  told  her  if  she  remained  in  the  army  some  great  misfortune  would 
happen  her.  The  king  asked  her  what  the  misfortune  would  be :  Joan 
replied  that  she  would  first  be  wounded,  and  then  captured.  But  the  king 
remained  unmoved,  regarding  her  presentiments  as  idle,  saying  to  her— 
God  forbid  that  she  should  be  wounded — but  if  she  was  she  would  soon 
recover  as  she  did  before,  and  if  she  was  captured  he  would  sell  the  half 
of  his  kingdom  to  ransom 'her.  Joan  rose  heavily  from  her  knees,  and 
with  a  melancholy  shake  of  her  head — seeing  she  could  obtain  nothing 
from  the  king — she  went  away  to  offer  her  devotions  in  the  church,  pray- 
ing that  when  her  calamity  should  overtake  her  she  might  at  least  be  in 
the  favour  of  God. 

The  next  day  they  decided  to  advance  upon  Paris,  and  they  quitted 
Saint  Denis  to  encamp  at  La  Chapelle.  Joan  rode  along  drooping  sadly 
upon  her  horse,  while  her  young  brother  followed  bearing  her  lance,  and 
Seigneur  Daulon  her  standard ;  just  then  she  saw  a  soldier  giving  his  arm 
to  a  wicked  female  adventurer.  Joan  had  always  prohibited  women  of 
this  stamp  from  following  the  army,  and  she  sent  brother  Pasquerel  with 
orders  for  her  to  retire.  But  instead  of  obeying,  the  woman  made  her  an 
insolent  reply ;  and  as  Joan  advanced  to  enforce  her  orders,  the  soldier 
sprang  towards  her  with  his  drawn  sword,  saying  that  brave  soldiers  like 
them  had  been  governed  by  a  woman  long  enough,  and  that  it  was  high 
time  for  a  change:  Joan,  accustomed  to  see  herself  respected  as  a  military 
chieftain,  could  not  suffer  such  insolence,  and  she  drew  her  sword ;  but 
reflecting  that  if  she  struck  with  the  edge  she  might  kill  him,  she  struck 
upon  his  helmet  with  the  flat  of  the  blade  and  ordered  him  to  stand  back ; 
but  weak  as  was  the  blow,  the  hour  of  this  good  sword — which  had 
received  so  many  rude  shocks — was  at  length  come,  the  blade  was  shiv- 
ered to  atoms  and  the  hilt  alone  remained  in  her  hand. 

At  that  moment  the  king  hearing  some  noise,  came  in  person  to  see  what 
was  passing,  and  he  saw  Joan  looking  mournfully  down  upon  the  broken 
blade  and  the  useless  hilt.  Then  they  related  to  him  what  had  happened, 
and  approaching  the  young  girl  he  said : 


JOAN.    THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN.  77 

"Joan,  you  ought  to  have  struck  with  your  lance,  and  not  with  that 
good  sword  which  was  divinely  bestowed  upon  you." 

" It  goes  as  it  came,"  said  Joan;  "for  believe  me,  sire,  this  is  my  last 
warning  from  God  that  tells  me  I  ought  to  retire." 

Then  the  king  began  to  laugh  at  Joan's  perseverance  in  believing  these 
melancholy  presentiments,  and  to  console  her  he  offered  her  his  own 
sword ;  but  Joan  refused  it,  saying  she  would  take  another  from  the 
English. 

Indeed,  how  could  the  king  be  affected  by  the  ominous  fears  of  the 
young  girl  when  her  increasing  fame  spread  far  and  wide,  and  every  one 
addressed  her  as  a  prophetess  and  a  saint  ?  at  Troyes  many  women  came 
to  entreat  her  to  officiate  as  god-mother  for  their  children,  and  she  held 
three  or  four  at  the  baptismal  font,  giving  to  the  girls  the  name  of  Joan  and 
to  the  boys  the  name  of  Charles.  At  Laguy  they  sought  her  and  begged 
her  to  go  and  pray  beside  the  couch  of  a  child,  who  for  three  days  seemed 
to  have  been  dead,  and  whom  the  priest  refused  to  baptize  saying  that  it 
was  dead  ;  but  when  Joan  approached  the  couch  and  knelt  down  to  pray, 
scarcely  was  her  prayer  finished  when  the  child  opened  its  eyes  and  the 
priest  seized  the  moment  to  baptize  it,  declaring  publicly  that  this  miracle 
had  been  wrought  in  answer  to  Joan's  prayer. 

Finally,  after  that,  when  she  was  at  Compiegne,  the  Count  of  Armag- 
nac,  one  of  the  highest  nobles  in  the  land,  wrote  to  her,  a  poor  peasant 
girl,  to  ask  to  which  of  the  three  Popes,  who  disputed  the  throne  of  St. 
Peter,  he  ought  to  accord  his  belief,  promising  to  acknowledge  whichever 
she  acknowledged. 

Certainly  these  were  great  honours,  and  would  have  dazzled  any  other 
than  Joan  ;  but  on  the  contrary,  Joan  was  more  modest  and  humble  than 
ever,  for  she  felt  that  God  was  removing  farther  from  her  every  day. 

m 

CHAPTER   X. 

COMPIEGNE. 

THE  same  evening  the  French  presented  themselves  before  Paris,  which 
was  defended  by  Prince  Louis  of  Lexemburg,  the  Bishop  of  Therouenne, 
Sir  John  Ratcliff,  an  English  chevalier,  and  nearly  three  thousand  men, 
without  including  the  citizens,  who  having  participated  in  the  massacre  of 
the  Armagnacs,  had  reason  to  fear  the  King's  just  vengeance  in  case  he 
should  get  possession  of  Paris,  and  consequently  were  even  more  interested 
than  the  English  in  keeping  him  at  a  safe  distance.  The  French  passed  be- 
yond Montmartre,  and  disposed  their  forces  upon  the  ground  which  is  at 
present  comprised  between  the  streets  Madelaine  and  Martyrs.  There 
they  established  a  battery  of  cannons,  and  fired  several  shots  to  try  the 
reach  of  it,  which  they  found  to  be  good,  the  bullets  having  entered  the 
town.  Immediately  the  English  and  citizens  rushed  to  the  walls ;  there 


78  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

was  also  a  corps  of  Burgundians  among  them  who  were  easily  recognized 
by  the  red  cross  upon  their  banners. 

But  this  evening  there  was  nothing  done,  the  hostile  parties  contenting 
themselves  with  the  exchange  of  a  few  shots.  The  sight  of  the  enemy, 
the  noise  of  the  bombards,  and  the  smell  of  powder  restored  to  Joan's  lan- 
guid spirit  a  portion  of  that  courage  which  had  animated  her  in  her  earlier  ex- 
ploits, and  she  again  took  upon  herself  the  management  of  the  assault,  whilst 
the  Dukes  of  Alencon  and  Bourbon  with  their  men,  stationed  themselves 
behind  the  Butte  aux  Pourceaux  which  protected  them  from  the  artillery  of 
the  place,  and  from  whence  they  could  fall  upon  the  besieged  if  they  at- 
tempted to  make  a  sortie. 

Notwithstanding  these  preparations,  the  Parisians  did  not  expect  an  at- 
tack the  next  day,  because  it  was  a  Holy-day,  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  they  supposed  the  French  would  not  dare  to  commence  the 
assault  during  so  great  a  solemnity.  But  about  eleven  o'clock,  great  was 
their  consternation  to  hear  the  bells — which  had  finished  ringing  for  mass 
— begin  to  sound  the  dreadful  tocsin,  and  numbers  of  people  running  up  and 
down  crying,  The  Armagnacs  are  upon  the  ramparts  !  Paris  is  taken !  All 
is  lost !  However,  the  sound  of  the  bells  and  the  cries  of  the  flying,  so  far 
from  intimidating  the  garrison,  on  the  contrary,  seemed  to  rouse  their  cour- 
age. English,  Burgundians  and  citizens  rushed  to  the  walls,  where  they 
perceived  that  the  assault  had  truly  commenced,  but  was  far  from  being  in 
as  good  train  for  the  French,  as  these  pretended  runaways  had  said,  they 
being  in  fact  partizans  of  King  Charles,  who  by  these  cries  hoped  to  excite 
a  revolt  in  the  city. 

In  effect,  whatever  was  the  courage  of  the  assailants,  their  task  was  ex- 
ceedingly difficult,  if  not  impossible.  They  had  overcome  the  first  barrier 
and  set  fire  to  it,  and  La  Pucelle  and  Seigneur  Saint- Vallier  in  front  had 
penetrated  into  the  outer  bulwark,  but  they  found  they  had  still  two  ditches 
to  get  over  before  they  could  reach  the  wall.  La  Pucelle  at  the  head  of  the 
bravest  cleared  the  first  ditch  amid  a  shower  of  arrows  and  cannon  shot,  but 
she  found  the  second  moat  to  be  deep  and  full  of  water.  She  was  not  before 
aware  of  this  obstacle,  though  several  of  the  French  army  knew  it  to  exist, 
but  would  not  tell  Joan  for  fear  she  would  think  that  they  wished  to  renounce 
the  assault ;  she  gained  the  most  elevated  point  of  the  fosse,  and  waving  her 
banner  she  called  upon  the  chevaliers  and  soldiers  destined  for  the  attack  to 
advance,  which  they  did  with  great  alacrity  under  the  command  of  Marshal 
Retz.  Then  Joan  ordered  them  to  bring  fagots,  beams  and  posts,  and  every 
thing  they  could  find  to  consolidate  a  road  across  the  mud  and  water,  and 
she  herself  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  fosse  to  sound  the  depth  of  it  with 
the  staff  of  her  banner,  crying  with  a  loud  voice  :  "  Surrender,  good  people 
of  Paris  !  surrender  !  for  if  you  do  not  before  night,  we  will  enter  your  city 
by  force,  and  you  shall  all  be  put  to  death  without  mercy."  At  that  mo- 
ment a  cross-bow-man  aimed  at  her  and  shot  her  through  the  hip. 

Joan  fell,  for  the  wound  was  cruel,  and  as  she  was  supposed  to  be  dead 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  79 

they  all  began  to  fly.  Then  she  put  her  standard  into  the  hands  of  the 
nearest  soldier  and  commanded  him  to  mount  to  the  top  of  the  fosse,  and 
wave  it  with  all  his  strength  to  show  that  she  was  only  wounded.  The  sol- 
dier did  as  he  was  ordered  ;  but  whilst  he  was  waving  the  banner  and  cry- 
ing out :  To  the  assault !  to  the  assault !  an  arrow  pierced  his  foot ;  he 
stooped  to  draw  the  arrow  from  the  wound,  and  in  order  to  see  better  he 
raised  the  visiere  of  his  helmet,  when  at  the  same  instant  a  second  arrow  hit 
him  in  the  forehead,  and  he  fell  dead. 

At  that  moment  Seigneur  Daulon  came  up ;  he  saw  Joan  lying  upon  the 
slope  of  the  fosse,  and  the  ground  about  her  studded  with  arrows,  which  had 
been  sped  at  the  prostrate  body  of  the  poor  girl.  He  then  essayed  to  take 
her  by  the  arm  and  lead  her  away  from  the  battle  ;  but  Joan — with  that  tone 
which  she  knew  how  to  take  when  she  wished  to  be  obeyed,  ordered  him. 
not  to  do  it,  but  to  raise  her  standard  and  to  rally  the  French.  Meantime, 
Joan  had  withdrawn  the  dart  from  the  wound,  but  as  her  suffering  was  in- 
tense, she  did  not  remove,  but  still  kept  ordering  them  to  fill  up  the  fosse, 
and  the  soldiers,  encouraged  by  so  much  heroism  in  a  woman,  applied  them- 
selves to  the  task.  But  the  water  was  so  deep— as  we  have  said — the  work 
seemed  almost  impracticable.  The  whole  day  was  passed  in  carrying  fas- 
cines to  fill  up  the  fosse,  and  still  it  was  not  filled.  Joan,  although  it  was  five 
hours  since  she  had  been  wounded  and  no  remedies  had  been  applied,  was 
still  resolutely  ordering  the  attack,  when  orders  came  from  the  king  to  retire 
to  Saint  Denis.  Positive  as  the  orders  were,  Joan  would  not  obey,  saying 
that  if  they  would  persevere,  Paris  would  be  taken  in  less  than  two  hours  ; 
twice  the  Duke  of  Alenson  sent  for  her,  but  she  would  not  leave ;  finally, 
as  he  loved  her  very  much,  he  went  for  her  himself.  Joan  then  consented 
to  retire,  and  rising  to  her  feet,  she  displayed  such  wonderful  courage — that 
notwithstanding  the  dreadful  wound  that  she  had  received,  she  scarcely 
seemed  to  limp. 

The  retreat  of  the  French  was  molested  only  by  the  discharges  of  artillery 
that  followed  ;  the  besieged  not  daring  to  come  out  of  the  town  for  fear  of 
ambuscades.  This  circumstance  permitted  the  besiegers  to  gather  up  their 
dead,  of  which  there  was  a  great  number  ;  but  as  they  had  no  time  to  pre- 
pare a  burial  place,  they  heaped  them  in  a  barn  and  burned  them. 
.  In  the  course  of  the  night  they  regained  Saint  Denis.  There  they  re- 
ported to  the  king  what  had  passed,  and  the  Duke  of  Alengon  and  Marshal 
Retz,  related  to  him  how  Joan  had  done  every  thing  she  could  to  get  her- 
self killed.  Then  the  king  went  to  find  her  in  her  lodging,  where  she  was 
ill  with  a  high  fever,  and  he  remonstrated  with  her  some  upon  the  discour- 
agement into  which  she  had  fallen.  Joan  began  to  cry,  and  confessed  she 
had  much  rather  die  than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  which  her 
voices  had  told  her  would  surely  happen  if  she  did  not  return  to  her  village. 
Then  the  king  to  encourage  her,  told  her  that  she  must  stay  till  she  got  well, 
and  after  that  he  would  give  her  leave  to  do  whatever  she  chose.  The  same 
evening  Joan  made  a  trophy  of  her  arms,  devoting  them  to  Saint  Denis  ;  and 


80  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

as  in  a  few  days  after  that,  thanks  to  her  youth  and  the  strength  of  her  con- 
stitution her  wounds  were  closed,  she  ordered  a  mass  in  the  royal  church,  and 
after  having  prostrated  herself  before  the  altar  of  the  martyr,  and  having  de- 
voutly thanked  God,  the  Virgin  and  the  Saints,  for  the  mercies  they  had  be- 
stowed upon  her — she  suspended  her  arms  upon  the  column  nearest  to  the 
shrine  containing  the  relics  of  the  holy  apostle.  This  pious  ceremony  being 
accomplished,  she  went  to  the  king  to  ask  for  the  discharge  which  he  had 
promised  to  grant  her. 

But  during  this  time,  they  had  remonstrated  with  Charles  upon  the  im- 
prudence of  letting  Joan  depart  at  a  time  when  nothing  was  decided,  and 
when  every  one,  from  the  highest  captain  to  the  lowest  soldier,  regarded 
her  as  their  good  genius.  So  when  Joan  preferred  her  request,  the  king 
told  her  that  he  had  made  her  that  promise  to  encourage  her,  but  now  that 
she  was  well,  he  begged  she  would  not  leave  him,  affirming  that  the  most 
sagacious  in  his  council  had  said  that  if  she  withdrew  all  was  lost.  Joan 
wished  to  insist  upon  it,  but  from  the  knowledge  that  she  had  of  the  king's 
character,  she  had  scarcely  uttered  one  remonstrance  when  she  saw  well 
that  it  was  lost  labour,  and  that  it  was  a  settled  determination  not  to  allow 
her  to  depart.  Then  the  poor  girl  resigned  herself  to  her  fate.  As  the 
king  offered  her  new  arms  she  accepted  them  all  but  the  sword,  saying  as 
before,  that  she  would  take  one  from  the  English,  which  in  fact  she  really 
had  done. 

In  effect,  to  invest  her  with  more  importance  the  king  augmented  the 
retinue  of  Joan,  raising  it  to  the  rank  of  his  first  captains  ;  he  delivered  to 
her  the  letters  patent  of  nobility  which  he  had  promised  her,  permitted  her 
to  send  for  her  second  brother,  and  gave  her  twelve  led  horses,  and  a  pri- 
vate purse  to  pay  the  little  corps  which,  from  that  moment,  she  was  to 
command  in  person ;  but  all  these  favours  could  not  divert  her  mind  from 
the  melancholy  thought  that  she  was  soon  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
English ;  she  was  resigned  but  not  consoled. 

The  counsel  decided  that  the  king  should  retire  beyond  the  Loire,  and 
this  decision  was  executed ;  Charles  returned  to  Gien,  leaving  governors 
in  the  towns  he  had  conquered  ;  thus  Ambroise  de  Lore  was  appointed  to 
Laguy,  Jacques  de  Chabannes  to  Creil,  William  de  Flavy  to  Compiegne, 
and  the  Count  of  Vendome  to  Saint  Denis  and  to  Senlis  ;  as  for  La  Pucelle, 
she  followed  the  king  with  the  other  chiefs  of  war. 

Hardly  had  the  French  quitted  Paris  than  the  Duke  of  Bedford  returned 
to  the  capital,  where  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  had  already  arrived  with  a 
safe-conduct  from  Charles,  under  pretext  of  making  a  treaty  of  peace  ;  but 
when  the  two  brothers-in-law  met,  the  Duke  of  Bedford  managed  so  well 
that  the  fine  resolutions  of  the  Duke  Philip  vanished,  and  the  sentiments 
awakened  by  Joan's  letter  gave  place  to  those  which  were  suscitated  by 
ambition ;  it  is  true,  however,  that  few  hearts  could  have  resisted  such 
offers  as  were  made  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy.  The  Duke  of  Bedford 
committed  to  him  the  regency  of  Paris,  and  also  promised  him  Brie  and 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  81 

Champagne,  contenting  himself  with  merely  his  government  of  Normandy ; 
the  result  of  it  was  that  ihe  new  regency  and  the  treaty  of  Compiegne 
were  published  at  the  same  time,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  hope  of  peace 
was  this  time,  if  not  entirely  destroyed,  at  least  very  much  retarded. 

After  fifteen  days  conference  in  the  city  of  Paris  the  two  princes  sepa- 
rated, the  Duke  of  Bedford  returning  to  Rouen,  the  seat  of  his  government, 
and  the  Duke  Philip  returning  to  Bruges,  to  marry  Isabella,  daughter  of 
King  John  First,  of  Portugal,  and  to  found  there  the  order  of  the  Golden 
Fleece. 

During  this  time  we  may  well  suppose  that  the  sworn  truce  was  but  very 
little  observed,  neither  English,  French,  nor  Burgundians  cared  for  it  the 
least  in  the  world.  The  Duke  of  Alen9on  had  sent  his  forces,  under  the 
guidance  of  Ambroise  de  Lore,  governor  of  Laguy,  to  reconquer  his  ap- 
pendage of  Normandy  ;  the  king's  council,  on  their  side,  returned  to  their 
former  project  of  securing  all  the  towns  which  commanded  the  course  of 
the  Loire,  and  Seigneur  d'Albret,  valiantly  seconded  by  Joan,  had  just 
taken  by  assault  Saint  Pierre  le  Montier.  This  capture — one  of  the  most 
brilliant  fails  d'armes  of  La  Pucelle — had  infused  so  much  courage  into 
the  hearts  of  the  French,  that — contrary  to  the  advice  of  Joan — Marshal 
Broussac  and  Signeur  d'Albret  had  gone  likewise  to  put  the  siege  before 
La  Charite  ;  but  by  the  result  of  this  enterprise,  they  recognized  still  the 
last  glimmer  of  that  inspiration  which  was  almost  extinguished  in  the  soul 
of  Joan ;  the  French  were  repulsed  by  Perrin  Granet,  who  commanded 
the  town,  and  were  forced  to  abandon  their  cannons  and  retire  :  this  check, 
predicted  by  Joan,  augmented  her  renown  by  realizing  her  prediction. 

Meantime  the  news  which  arrived  from  the  capital  and  its  environs  were 
such,  that  the  eyes  of  the  king  and  council  were  turned  in  that  direction. 
Not  only  had  the  French  garrisons  succeeded  in  maintaining  themselves, 
but  the  inhabitants  of  Melun  had  driven  the  English  from  among  them, 
and  committed  their  city  to  the  commander  of  Giresme ;  Saint  Denis  had 
also  been  surprised  and  become  French  again  ;  in  fine,  La  Hire,  who 
ceased  not  to  make  war  as  a  partisan — had  taken  possession  of  Louviers, 
and  extended  his  adventures  even  to  the  gates  of  Rouen,  which  he  was 
very  near  taking  by  the  complot  of  some  citizens.  Paris — which  was  so 
well  defended  the  preceding  year — now  seemed  abandoned  by  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  and  the  Duke  Philip,  to  the  pillages  and  rapines  of  a  garrison 
half  Picardian,  half  Burgundian;  thus  it  became  filled  with  malcontents  ; 
this  was  rich  news  for  the  party  of  king  Charles,  and  each  one  was  anxious 
to  profit  by  it.  The  council,  therefore,  decided  that  on  the  return  of 
spring  they  would  carry  the  war  in  that  direction ;  in  the  meantime,  they 
made  great  proclamations  for  the  assembling  of  troops,  and  strong  appeals 
to  the  people  for  money. 

While  these  transactions  were  going  on,  a  conspiracy  had  been  plotted  at 
Paris,  which  though  discovered  and  repressed  gave  new  hopes  to  the  fol- 

6 


82  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

lowers  of  King  Charles  :  for  it  indicated  to  them  that  they  had  intelligences 
in  the  capital.  Some  Seigneurs  of  Paris,  united  to  those  of  the  parliament 
and  of  Chatelet,  after  being  joined  by  some  merchants  and  mechanics,  had 
resolved  to  introduce  the  French  into  the  capital ;  a  Carmelite,  named  Pierre 
Dellee,  was  the  messenger  who  carried  letters  back  and  forth  between  those 
without  and  those  within ;  but  the  guards  of  the  gate  St.  Denis,  surprised 
to  see  this  Carmelite  constantly  passing  and  repassing,  arrested  him  one 
morning  and  led  him  to  prison  ;  there,  as  he  would  not  reply  to  their  ques- 
tions, they  put  him  to  torture,  and  by  force  of  torments  they  made  him  con- 
fess all ;  six  heads  were  shot  off,  and  more  than  fifty  dead  bodies  were  found 
on  the  banks  of  the  Seine. 

The  moment  was  then  favourable  for  a  renewal  of  hostilities  ;  Joan  set 
out  with  her  little  corps,  and  arrived  at  Laguy  without  encountering  the 
English.  There  she  learned  that  a  brave  but  merciless  man,  named  Fran- 
quet  d'Arras,  with  about  four  hundred  men  under  his  command,  was  making 
the  most  disastrous  incursions  upon  the  good  people  of  the  king's  party, 
for  he  received  no  person  at  a  ransom,  neither  men  nor  women,  but  went  on 
pillaging  and  slaughtering  all  who  were  not  English  or  Burgundians :  Joan 
was  not  willing  to  pass  so  near  such  a  man  and  leave  his  crimes  unpun- 
ished. She  left  Laguy  with  a  number  of  combatants  equal  to  that  with 
which  she  was  to  combat,  and  about  a  league  from  town  she  met  the  des- 
perado whom  she  sought ;  she  marched  directly  towards  him,  and  com- 
menced the  attack  with  the  same  vigour  which  she  had  shown  at  the 
commencement  of  her  career.  But  Franquet's  four  hundred  men  were 
valiant  archers  who  had  twice  repulsed  the  royal  troops  ;  and  twice  had 
Joan  rallied  her  men  and  rushed  to  the  onslaught,  till  at  length  Franquet 
and  his  partisans  were  obliged  to  retreat  to  a  small  fort,  which  was  however 
impregnable  for  Joan  and  her  men,  as  they  had  no  cannons.  Happily,  at 
that  moment  John  de  Foucault,  who  commanded  at  Laguy,  arrived  with  a 
part  of  the  garrison  and  the  artillery;  the  batteries  erected,  they  soon  made 
a  breach  so  that  the  wall  was  practicable,  and  then  they  ordered  the  assault. 
Franquet  and  his  men  fought  desperately,  but  they  were  at  length  over- 
powered by  the  assailants ;  part  of  them  perished  by  the  sword,  the 
remainder  sued  for  mercy ;  Captain  Franquet  was  among  the  latter. 

Then  arrived  the  judges  from  Laguy,  and  the  bailiff  from  Senlis,  who 
declared  Franquet  to  be  a  traitor,  robber  and  murderer.  Joan,  on  her  side, 
declared  that  as  he  was  her  prisoner  she  would  not  give  him  up  to  any  one, 
but  that  she  intended  to  exchange  him  against  Seigneur  de  Lore  who  had 
recently  been  taken  ;  but  they  replied  to  her  that  this  exchange  was  impos- 
sible, Seigneur  de  Lore  having  died  in  captivity.  Upon  this  assurance  she 
abandoned  Franquet  and  delivered  him  to  the  bailiff,  saying:  "  Do  with  him 
as  justice  demands."  The  trial  lasted  fifteen  days,  and  Franquet,  after  hav- 
ing confessed  all  his  crimes,  was  decapitated. 

Meantime  a  new  conspiracy  had  just  broken  out  at  Paris,  and  though 
repressed  like  the  first,  it  was  so  near  being  accomplished  that  it  created  a 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  83 

profound  impression.  One  of  the  prisoners  of  war  of  the  Baslile,  who  had 
paid  his  ransom,  and  being  at  large,  came  and  went  at  his  pleasure,  found 
the  gaoler  one  day  asleep  upon  a  bench  in  the  court ;  he  approached  him 
softly,  and  taking  from  him  the  bunch  of  keys  which  he  had  in  his  girdle, 
he  opened  the  prison  of  three  of  his  comrades,  and  all  four,  armed  with 
knives  and  clubs,  fell  upon  the  guard,  some  of  whom  they  massacred  before 
they  had  time  to  recover  themselves ;  and  they  were  in  a  fair  way  of  ren- 
dering themselves  masters  of  the  Bastile,  when  Seigneur  de  PIsle  Adam, 
governor  of  Paris,  who  was  going  his  round  with  a  troop  of  soldiers,  and 
hearing  the  cries  of  the  guards,  galloped  his  horse  into  the  court,  and  with  a 
battle-axe  struck  off  the  head  of  the  ringleader ;  the  others  were  then  taken, 
and  by  torture  they  wrung  from  them  the  confession  that  they  had  intended 
to  deliver  the  chateau  into  the  hands  of  the  royalists ;  they  were  all  con- 
demned to  death,  and  either  decapitated  or  thrown  into  the  river. 

Joan  heard  this  news  while  she  was  at  Laguy,  and  she  was  intending 
to  march  upon  Paris  to  profit  by  the  favourable  dispositions  which  seemed 
to  prevail  there,  when  she  heard  news  of  still  greater  importance ;  the 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  was  more  than  ever  in  the  English  interest,  had 
arrived  with  a  strong  army  to  put  the  siege  before  Compiegne,  which  was 
commanded,  as  we  have  said,  by  Seigneur  de  Flavy.  Joan  resolved  to 
hasten  to  Compiegne  ;  she  sent  on  before  her  Jacques  de  Chabannes,  Reg- 
nault  de  Fontaine,  and  Zantrailles,  to  say  to  the  governor  to  stand  firm, 
for  that  she  was  on  her  way.  Her  last  orders  being  given,  she  stopped  at 
Crespy  one  day  to  make  her  devotions,  and  at  night  she  set  out  for 
Compiegne,  where  she  entered  without  any  obstacle,  under  favour  of  the 
darkness,  although  the  city  was  surrounded  mostly  on  all  sides,  and  the 
Seigneur  of  Luxemburg,  the  Seigneur  of  Noyelle,  Sir  John  Montgomery, 
and  the  duke  himself  guarded  the  principal  points. 

In  the  morning  Joan  repaired  to  the  church  St.  Jacques,  to  hear  mass, 
as  was  her  custom  when  she  was  in  town.  Hardly  did  the  inhabitants 
know  she  was  there  than  the  church  was  filled  with  people,  especially 
women  and  children.  Her  kneeling  form  was  supported  against  a  column, 
and  during  all  her  devotions  her  tears  ceased  not  to  flow.  So  long  as  mass 
continued  the  people  contented  themselves  with  looking  at  her,  without 
disturbing  her  ;  but  as  soon  as  it  was  finished  the  multitude  pressed  about 
her,  begging  permission  to  kiss  a  little  gold  ring  which  she  wore  upon  her 
finger,  and  upon  which  were  engraven  three  crosses  and  the  name  of 
Jesus  ;  then  Joan  abandoned  her  hands  to  these  good  people,  and  one,  who 
was  kneeling  before  her,  asked  her  why  she  looked  so  sadly  upon  them  : 
"  Alas  !  my  good  friends  and  my  dear  children,"  replied  she,  "  I  must  tell 
you  a  melancholy  truth:  there  is  a  man  who  has  sold  me;  I  am  betrayed 
and  shall  soon  be  delivered  to  death.  Pray  for  me,  I  beseech  you  ;  for  I 
shall  soon  be  unable  to  serve  my  king  or  the  noble  kingdom  of  France!" 
Then  the  multitude,  hearing  these  words,  began  to  weep  and  sob,  telling 
her  to  point  out  the  traitor,  if  she  knew  him,  and  they  would  see  him  justly 


84  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

punished.  But  Joan  merely  shook  her  head,  and  going  out  of  the  church 
she  returned  to  the  house  where  she  lodged,  and  all  the  crowd  followed 
after  her,  and  lingered  long  about  the  door  in  hopes  of  seeing  her  again. 

Joan  passed  the  day  in  prayer,  and,  like  our  Saviour  upon  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  she  doubtless  drank  of  the  cup  which  was  brought  to  her  by 
some  angel.  The  evening  before,  having  ordered  her  troops  to  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  make  a  sortie  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Pothon, 
the  Burgundian,  one  of  her  captains,  came  at  the  appointed  hour  to  say 
to  her  that  the  soldiers  were  ready,  and  only  awaited  her  arrival. 

Joan  was  dressed  in  her  usual  costume,  which  was  the  armour  of  a  man, 
over  which  she  wore  an  overdress  of  crimson  velvet,  embroidered  with 
gold  and  silver ;  a  strong  sword,  which  she  had  won  from  a  Burgundian 
at  Laguy,  for  since  she  had  broken  the  sword  of  Fierbois,  she  would  use 
only  that  of  an  enemy,  and  her  little  battle-axe.  She  mounted  her  horse, 
took  her  standard  from  the  hands  of  her  squire,  and  having  twice  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  recommending  those  who  gazed  upon  her,  as 
she  prepared  to  depart,  to  pray  for  her  :  "  Come  on  !"  said  she  to  Pothon, 
and  setting  her  horse  into  a  trot,  she  rode  on  towards  the  gate  where  her 
troop  awaited  her.  The  gate  was  instantly  opened,  and  Joan,  followed  by 
five  or  six  hundred  armed  men,  dashed  into  the  plain,  and  fell  upon  the 
quarters  of  Seigneur  de  Noyelles,  where  happened  to  be,  at  that  moment, 
John  of  Luxemburg  and  some  of  his  cavaliers,  who  had  come  there  to 
make  a  little  closer  examination  of  the  city. 

As  they  could  not  have  foreseen  this  sortie,  the  first  effect  of  it  was  ter- 
rible ;  all  the  soldiers  of  Seigneur  de  Noyelles  were  surprised  without 
arms,  and  only  John  of  Luxemburg,  and  the  cavaliers  who  attended  him, 
essayed  to  make  any  resistance,  whilst  a  messenger  ran  to  his  quarter  to 
demand  help.  During  this  time  the  French  slashed  right  and  left,  over- 
whelming all  that  came  in  their  way,  and  even  penetrating  to  the  camp  of 
Sir  John  Montgomery.  Then  they  all  started  to  their  feet,  for  the  cry  : 
La  Pucelle  !  La  Pucelle !  had  echoed  from  one  end  of  the  camp  to  the 
other  ;  soon,  masses  ten  times  more  numerous  than  the  assailants,  advanced 
against  them,  and  they  were  forced  to  recoil.  La  Pucelle  was  the  first  to 
attack  and  the  last  to  retreat,  and  in  making  her  retreat,  whenever  they 
pressed  upon  her  too  closely,  if  she  faced  about,  the  whole  mass  of  ene- 
mies seemed  to  recoil  before  her  dreaded  banner.  On  arriving  at  the  bar- 
rier, Joan  could  not  prevent  a  little  disorder  in  her  troop  ;  each  wished  to 
enter  first,  and  there  was  a  struggle  who  should  pass.  Joan  saw  that  if 
she  did  not  contrive  to  give  a  little  time  to  her  men,  the  half  of  them  would 
be  stifled  in  the  gates,  or  thrown  from  the  top  of  the  bridge  to  the  bottom 
of  the  fosse.  She  turned,  the  third  and  last  time,  to  charge  upon  the 
enemy  ;  the  enemy  recoiled  ;  she  pursued  them  with  about  a  hundred  men, 
forming  her  rear-guard  :  but  when  she  returned  she  found  that  the  English 
had  slipped  in  between  her  and  the  bulwark;  then  she  drew  her  sword — 
which  she  had  not  done  before  throughout  the  contest — and  charged,  to 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  86 

open  for  herself  a  passage.  The  English  were  repulsed  by  the  shock, 
for  the  bravest  of  both  parties  were  then  hand  to  hand  ;  but  on  reaching 
the  gate  Joan  found  it  shut,  and  notwithstanding  her  cries,  no  one  came  to 
open  it.  Then  she  essayed  to  make  her  retreat  through  the  fields ;  she 
retired  between  the  river  and  Compiegne,  in  order  to  gain  either  the  open 
country,  or  some  other  gate  which  they  might  open  to  her;  but  when 
they  saw  her  thus  abandoned,  with  scarcely  a  hundred  men,  the  most  cow- 
ardly took  heart  and  rushed  upon  her.  Attacked  before  and  behind,  Joan 
was  forced  to  stop  and  make  face  to  the  enemy ;  the  struggle  was  long 
and  terrible  :  Pothon,  the  Burgundian,  performed  prodigies  of  valour,  and 
Joan  truly  accomplished  miracles.  At  last  a  Picardian  archer,  who  had 
crept  along  among  the  horses'  feet,  arrived  at  the  place  where  Joan  was, 
and  seizing  her  by  her  surcoat  of  velvet,  with  a  violent  jerk  he  unhorsed 
her.  Joan  instantly  sprang  to  her  feet  and  continued  to  defend  herself; 
but  at  length,  her  strength  being  exhausted,  she  fell  upon  one  knee  ;  she 
cast  a  last  imploring  look  upon  her  soldiers,  but  each  was  fighting  for  his 
own  life,  none  could  succour  her.  She  was  conscious  that,  for  her,  all  was 
lost,  and  that  the  fatal  hour,  predicted  by  her  voices,  was  now  come  ;  she 
surrendered  her  sword  to  Lionel,  Bastard  of  Vendome,  who  appeared  to 
her  to  be  the  principal  person  among  her  antagonists. 

Soon  a  cry  arose  in  the  camp  of  the  Burgundians,  which  was  shortly 
echoed  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  France : 

Joan  La  Pucelle  is  a  prisoner !  1 

This  event  occurred  on  the  28th  of  May,  1430. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE    TRIAL. 

THE  capture  of  Joan,  as  we  may  well  suppose,  cre&'&i  much  joyful 
excitement  in  the  quarter  of  the  English  and  Burgundians  ;  one  would 
have  thought  that  they  had  gained  a  battle  like  Cressy,  Poitiers  or  Agin- 
court,  and  that  the  king  of  France  himself  was  their  prisoner.  In  truth, 
this  poor  girl,  now  laden  with  chains,  was  the  most  terrible  adversary  they 
had  ever  encountered  upon  French  soil :  before  she  appeared,  they  had 
almost  conquered  the  kingdom ;  but  since  her  appearance  they  had  num- 
bered nothing  but  defeats,  and  had  lost  two-thirds  of  their  former  conquests 
in  the  kingdom  of  France. 

The  Bastard  of  Vendome  had  delivered  his  prisoner  to  the  Seigneur  of 
Luxemburg,  and  his  quarters  were  thronged  with  persons  who  had  come 
to  look  at  her.  The  Duke  of  Burgundy  was  among  the  first  who  hastened 
to  see  her,  and  as  he  held  a  private  interview  with  her,  none  knew  the 
subject  of  their  conversation ;  bat  it  was  remarked  that  on  leaving  her, 
the  Duke  appeared  like  the  vanquished  and  the  young  girl  the  victor. 

The  peril  which  threatened  Joan  was  imminent;  couriers  had  been 


86  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

sent  to  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  to  the  Count  of  Warwick,  and  to  the  Bishop 
of  Winchester,  and  three  days  had  hardly  gone  by,  when  the  English — 
thirsting  for  revenge — had  addressed  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  through 
brother  Martin — a  master  in  theology  and  vicar  general  of  the  inquisition 
of  faith  to  the  kingdom  of  France — the  following  summons  : 

"  Using  the  rights  of  our  office  and  of  the  authority  committed  to  us  by 
the  holy  see  of  Rome,  we  require  instantly,  and  enjoin,  in  favour  of  the 
Catholic  faith,  and  upon  the  penalties  of  the  law,  that  the  said  prisoner 
Joan,  who,  being  strongly  suspected  of  many  crimes  savouring  of  heresy, 
should  be  brought  before  us,  to  be,  according  to  law,  proceeded  against  by 
the  proctor  of  the  holy  inquisition." 

But  neither  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  nor  the  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg, 
were  disposed  to  submit  to  this  requisition.  They  knew  that  to  deliver 
the  young  girl  to  the  English,  and  to  deliver  her  to  death,  were  synony- 
mous acts,  and  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  had  received  her  letters,  and  had 
held  an  interview  with  her  for  an  hour,  at  the  time  she  was  captured,  knew 
better  than  any  person,  that  she  was  a  noble  heroine,  and  not,  as  her  ene- 
mies said,  a  miserable  sorceress.  It  was  then  agreed  between  him  and 
John  of  Luxemburg,  that  they  would  make  no  reply  to  the  English,  nor 
any  decision  with  regard  to  the  prisoner,  until  they  should  receive  news 
from  the  king  of  France. 

There  was  a  treaty  of  war  between  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  the  king 
of  England,  by  which  the  latter  could  claim  certain  prisoners  by  paying 
ten  thousand  pounds,  but  the  prisoner  must  be  a  prince  of  the  royal  blood, 
a  constable,  a  marshal  of  France  or  a  general.  Now,  as  Joan  had  no  posi- 
tive grade  in  the  army,  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  could  excuse  himself  on 
this  ground  for  delivering  Joan  to  the  king  of  France,  provided  he  would 
pay  a  ransom  equal  or  superior  to  that  which  he  expected  from  the  king 
of  England. 

But  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  waited  in  vain:  Charles  VII.,  who  had 
detained  the  poor  girl  when  she  wished  to  retire  to  Domremy,  telling  her 
that  if  she  was  taken,  he  would  sell  the  half  of  his  kingdom  to  ransom 
her,  Charles  VII.  sent  no  messenger  from  Paris,  Charles  VII.  offered  no 
ransom.  Hardly  was  the  crown  firm  upon  his  head  when  he  forgot  her 
who  had  placed  it  there.  It  is  true  he  was  then  distractedly  in  love  with 
Agnes  Sorrel. 

Six  weeks  passed  by,  during  which  the  English — seeing  they  could 
obtain  no  reply  from  the  Duke  of  Burgundy — assembled  several  councils, 
and  each  of  these  councils  was  followed  by  a  new  summons,  but  all  was 
useless. 

Nevertheless,  the  proposal  of  the  Regent  of  England  had  arrived  ;  he 
consented  to  regard  Joan  as  a  general  of  the  army,  and  offered  for  her  a 
sum  equal  to  that  he  would  have  offered  for  a  king  or  for  a  prince  royal, 
that  is  to  say,  ten  thousand  pounds.  At  the  same  time,  they  invited  Pierre 
Cauchon — who  had  been  driven  from  his  diocese  of  Beauvais  at  the  time 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  87 

that  city  submitted  itself  to  the  French — to  claim  Joan  as  much  in  his  own 
name,  as  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  England,  under  pretext  that  having 
been  captured  within  the  limits  of  the  Bishop's  jurisdiction,  it  was  his 
province  to  conduct  her  trial.  Pierre  Cauchon  resisted  for  some  time  :  he 
knew  that  if  he  suffered  himself  to  be  intrusted  with  the  trial  of  Joan,  he 
would  be  exposed  to  the  vengeance  of  the  English  if  he  acknowledged  her 
to  be  innocent,  and  to  the  execration  of  posterity  if  he  declared  her  to 
be  culpable.  The  Bishop  thought  then  to  extricate  himself  from  this 
dilemma,  by  replying  that  he  ought — before  making  any  decision — to  take 
the  advice  of  the  University  of  Paris :  they  urged  him  to  ask  this  advice ; 
Pierre  Cauchon  delayed  as  long  as  he  could,  but  at  length  he  was  forced 
to  write.  The  University  was  composed  in  great  part  of  doctors  who 
were  entirely  influenced  and  governed  by  the  English :  the  reply  conse- 
quently was,  that  since  Joan  had  been  taken  in  his  diocese  he  ought  to 
claim  her  and  conduct  her  trial. 

During  this  time  the  prisoner  had  been  transferred  from  the  chateau  of 
Beaulieu  to  the  chateau  of  Beaurevoir,  situated  four  leagues  from  Cam- 
bray,  where  she  found  the  wife  and  the  sister  of  John  of  Luxemburg. 
The  two  noble  ladies  were  at  first  much  prejudiced  against  Joan,  regarding 
her  as  a  sorceress,  or  at  least  as  a  heretic ;  but  at  the  first  appearance  of 
the  youthful  captive,  seeing  so  much  simplicity,  meekness  and  chastity 
pervade  her  whole  bearing,  they  were  involuntarily  won  to  an  emotion  of 
interest  which  soon  yielded  to  real  heart-felt  pity.  A  month  after  Joan 
became  their  cherished  friend. 

The  first  wish  of  these  ladies  was  to  save  the  poor  girl.  Several  times 
they  obtained  new  delays  from  the  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg,  impatient  as 
he  was  at  the  silence  of  France,  and  intimidated  as  he  was  by  the  menaces 
of  England.  Five  months  glided  away  in  this  manner. 

During  these  five  months  the  English  did  not  slacken  their  pursuits. 
Pierre  Cauchon,  Bishop  of  Beauvais — urged  by  the  University  to  which 
he  had  referred  himself — at  length  departed  from  P?^s  on  tne<  15tn  °f 
July,  with  an  apostolic  notary  and  an  envoy  from  the  University.  On 
the  16th  a  second  summons  was  signified  to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  and  to 
John  of  Luxemburg,  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  England :  in  this  sum- 
mons the  Regent  claimed  Joan  as  one  of  the  principal  generals  of  the  king 
of  France,  and  in  consequence  he  offered  to  John  of  Luxemburg  the  sum 
stipulated  in  the  treaty,  viz :  ten  thousand  pounds ;  moreover,  an  annuity 
of  three  hundred  pounds  was  assigned  to  Lionel,  Bastard  of  Vendome,  to 
whom  she  surrendered  her  sword. 

The  offers  were  pressing,  and  the  refusal  dangerous :  every  day  the 
Seigneur  of  Luxemburg  related  to  his  wife  and  sister  the  ascendant  march 
of  things,  and  every  day  the  two  noble  ladies  prevailed  upon  him  to  delay 
his  decision  a  little  longer.  They  still  clung  to  the  hope  that  the  king  of 
France  would  come  to  the  aid  of  Joan,  but  the  king  of  France  remained 


88  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

cold,  silent,  and  pre-occupied,  as  it  appears,  with  interests  more  important 
than  that  of  ransoming  a  poor  peasant  girl. 

Whilst  Joan  was  awaiting  the  decision  of  her  fate,  she  led  a  holy  life 
which  edified  and  affected  all  who  approached  her :  she  passed  her  time  in 
prayers  and  religious  exercises  ;  then,  with  those  hands  which  had  brand- 
ished the  royal  sword  and  borne  the  banner  of  God,  she  sewed  and  spun 
as  in  the  days  of  her  youth  and  her  obscurity.  Her  visions  had  returned 
to  her;  and  although  her  voices  spoke  to  her  only  of  resignation  and 
martyrdom,  she  felt,  if  not  consoled,  at  least  stronger  for  having  heard 
them. 

At  length,  about  the  middle  of  September,  the  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg 
announced  to  his  wife  and  sister  that  he  could  no  longer  postpone  the 
painful  task  of  delivering  Joan  to  the  English.  Both  ladies,  at  these 
words,  fell  at  his  feet  and  besought  him  to  save  the  poor  young  girl ;  for 
they  knew  that  to  deliver  her  to  the  English  was  to  condemn  her  to  mar- 
tyrdom. John  of  Luxemburg  promised  to  offer  a  last  chance  of  salvation 
to  his  prisoner;  that  was  to  declare  that  he  consented  to  give  her  up,  but 
that  she  should  remain  in  his  keeping  until  the  ten  thousand  pounds  were 
paid,  and  so  long  as  it  remained  unpaid  he  should  hold  himself  free  to 
treat  for  her  ransom  with  the  king  of  France. 

This  condition,  which  appeared  at  first  a  little  advantageous  for  the  pri- 
soner, nevertheless  involved  a  long  delay.  The  Duke  of  Bedford  had  no 
money,  and  John  of  Luxemburg  knew  it  perfectly  well;  but  as  in  all  pro- 
bability he  would  raise  the  amount  some  day  or  other,  either  in  France  or 
England,  he  charged  his  wife  and  sister  to  announce  to  Joan  that  he  had 
been  forced  to  treat  with  the  English,  and  that  she  must  momentarily  hold 
herself  in  readiness  to  be  delivered  to  them.  The  two  ladies  tried  again 
to  soften  their  lord  ;  but  this  time  he  was  inflexible. 

They  were  then  cl^iged  to  announce  this  terrible  news  to  Joan.  The 
poor  child,  on  hearing  it,  forgot  that  she  was  the  heroine  of  Orleans  and 
the  conqueror  of  J/irgan,  and  only  remembered  her  weakness  ajid  isolation. 
From  the  day  of  her  captivity  the  warrior  had  disappeared,  and  only  the 
woman  remained.  She  melted  into  tears  like  a  child,  kissing  the  hands 
of  the  two  ladies  as  if  she  were  going  to  leave  them  that  moment  for  ever. 
But  in  all  that  anguish  of  heart,  no  prayer  escaped  her  lips  unworthy  of 
herself;  she  murmured  not  a  single  reproach  against  her  king;  but  clasp- 
ing her  hands,  she  cried  :  "  Oh  God  !  oh  God !  I  knew  it  would  be  so  ; 
for  it  was  the  warningof  my  voices." 

At  night,  when  she  went  up  to  her  chamber — which  was  in  the  third 
story  of  one  of  the  towers  of  the  castle — as  she  knelt  down  to  pray,  her 
saints  appeared  to  her.  Then,  as  usual,  her  tears  ceased,  and  she  fell  into 
that  pious  ecstasy  with  which  she  always  listened  to  the  orders  of  the 
Lord. 

"Joan,"  said  her  voices,  "we  come  to  bring  thee  comfort, — thou  wilt 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  89 

have  much  to  suffer  :  but  the  Lord  will  give  thee  courage.  Though  hope 
forsake  thee,  preserve  thy  faith." 

These  words  indicated  to  Joan  that  some  dark  and  terrible  catastrophe 
awaited  her ;  and  willingly  obedient  as  she  had  always  been  to  the  divine 
orders,  she  now  vainly  endeavoured  to  resign  herself  to  her  cruel  fate. 
She  did  not  sleep  one  moment  all  the  weary  night ;  she  wept  unceasingly, 
and  every  quarter  of  an  hour  she  rose  from  her  bed  to  prostrate  herself 
before  a  large  ivory  image  of  the  Saviour,  which  she  had  desired  them  to 
transport  from  the  chapel  to  her  chamber. 

The  next  day  passed,  like  the  night,  in  prayers  and  tears;  only  Joan 
seemed  to  be  meditating  some  desperate  project.  Several  times  the  two 
ladies,  alarmed  by  her  strange  manners,  interrogated  her ;  but  she  only 
replied:  "I  would  rather  die  than  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the 
English," 

At  night  she  retired  at  her  usual  hour;  then,  as  the  evening  before,  her 
chamber  became  resplendent  with  light,  and  raising  her  head  she  beheld 
her  saints  ;  but  they  had  a  sad  and  reproachful  air;  Joan  lowered  her  eyes 
before  their  displeasure. 

"Joan,"  said  the  voice,  "  God,  who  knows  the  secrets  of  all  hearts,  has 
discerned  the  guilty  thoughts  of  thine,  and  orders  thee  to  renounce  them. 
Martyrdom  conducts  to  heaven,  but  suicide  to  eternal  damnation." 

"Oh!  my  saints,  my  saints!"  cried  Joan,  wringing  her  hands,  "I 
would  rather  die  than  be  delivered  to  the  English." 

"  It  must  be  as  God  ordains,"  said  the  voices,  "  it  is  not  for  thee  to 
dispose  of  thyself." 

"  Oh  !  my  God !"  said  Joan  sobbing,  "  why  was  I  not  left  poor  and 
obscure  in  my  native  village  ?" 

The  next  morning  as  the  lady  of  Luxemburg  became  alarmed  at  the 
absence  of  Joan,  she  went  up  to  her  room,  and  found  the  poor  girl  lying 
upon  the  floor,  pale  and  cold ;  she  had  passed  the  night  in  the  same  situ- 
ation in  which  her  visions  had  left  her. 

The  lady  tenderly  entreated  Joan  to  come  down  and  take^er  breakfast 
with  them  ;  but  Joan  replied  that  she  could  not  eat,  and  that  she  desired 
to  take  the  communion  ;  the  lady  of  Luxemburg  knew  the  pious  habits  of 
Joan,  and  she  knew  also  the  powerful  consolations  which  religion  affords 
to  the  wretched  ;  so  she  descended  alone  and  sent  the  chaplain  to  Joan. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Joan  descended  to  the  apartment  of 
the  ladies ;  her  gratitude  appeared  stronger  than  ever  towards  these  ladies 
who,  from  her  gaolers  had  become  her  friends ;  but  she  left  them  and  went 
up  to  her  chamber  some  time  before  her  accustomed  hour. 

The  wife  and  sister  of  Luxemburg  were  troubled  about  the  motionless 
cold  despair  which  seemed  to  possess  Joan,  and  they  sat  till  quite  late, 
talking  about  their  prisoner  and  expressing  their  apprehensions  to  each 
other.  Every  thing  else,  seemed  to  combine  to  augment  those  instinctive 
disquietudes  which  one  sometimes  experiences  on  the  approach  of  great 


90  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

events.  In  was  in  the  beginning  of  October;  the  sky  was  dark  and 
stormy,  as  it  usually  is  at  that  season  of  the  year  in  the  southern  countries 
of  France.  The  wind  battled  the  old  towers  of  castle  Beaurevoir,  roared 
through  the  chimneys,  and  swept  in  long  wailing  plaints  through  the  empty 
chambers  and  sombre  corridors.  The  two  ladies  were  sitting  alone  in  an 
apartment  directly  below  Joan's  chamber,  listening  to  all  those  mysterious 
and  indescribable  sounds  of  night,  when  immediately  after  the  last  stroke 
of  the  midnight  bell  had  sounded,  they  fancied  that  they  heard  a  doleful 
cry  borne  upon  the  wind.  They  both  shuddered  and  listened  ;  but  to  this 
cry  succeeded  the  most  profound  silence,  and  they  thought  they  had  been 
deceived.  Soon  after,  however,  deep  moans  seemed  to  rise  from  the  fosse 
of  the  chateau.  The  ladies,  filled  with  a  vague  terror,  ran  up  to  the  door 
of  their  prisoner,  but  they  called  and  knocked  in  vain,  no  one  answered. 
Then,  suspecting  some  strange  event  had  happened,  they  ordered  the  sen- 
tinels to  go  out  with  torches  and  make  the  tour  of  the  chateau.  As  the 
sentinels  were  passing  under  Joan's  window,  there  they  saw  the  body  of 
the  poor  girl  lying  upon  the  ground ;  at  first  they  thought  she  was  dead  ; 
but  they  soon  perceived  that  she  had  only  swooned.  They  carried  her 
into  lady  Luxemburg's  own  chamber,  where,  thanks  to  the  attentions 
lavished  upon  her  by  the  two  ladies,  she  at  length  recovered  her  senses. 

Joan  had  repeatedly  said  that  she  would  rather  die  than  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  English,  and  in  defiance  of  the  orders  of  her  voices,  she  had 
thrown  herself  from  her  chamber  window  in  hopes  of  making  her  escape 
or  of  being  killed  in  the  fall.  Without  doubt  God  had  supported  her  in 
her  perilous  leap,  or  she  must  have  been  dashed  to  pieces. 

When  Joan  recovered  herself  she  appeared  very  repentant  for  what  she 
had  done,  but  the  impression  produced  by  this  event  upon  the  Seigneur  of 
Luxemburg  could  not  be  effaced  by  this  repentance.  He  feared  that  in  a 
similar  attempt  Joan  might  succeed  in  destroying  herself,  and  thereby 
deprive  him  of  the  10,000  pounds  ransom  ;  he  then  declared  to  the  Regent 
that  he  was  .ready  to  put  Joan  at  his  disposal  on  condition  that  her  trial 
should  not  commence  until  the  ransom  was  fully  paid.  The  Duke  of  Bed- 
ford acceded  to  all  the  conditions  which  the  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg  was 
pleased  to  impose,  so  great  was  his  fear  lest  the  king  of  France  might 
enter  into  some  negotiation  with  him,  and  he  should  finally  lose  the  distin- 
guished captive.  But  the  Regent's  apprehensions  were  groundless.  The 
king  of  France  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  existence  of  the  noble-minded 
maiden  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  his  crown. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1430,  the  regent  convoked  at  Rouen  the  states  of 
the  province  of  Normandy,  and  demanded  of  them  a  contribution  of  80,000 
pounds,  which  demand  had  been  complied  with.  Out  of  the  80,000  pounds, 
10,000  were  appropriated  to  the  ransom  of  La  Pucelle,  and  paid  over  to 
the  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg,  about  the  20lh  of  October. 

The  Bishop  of  Beauvais  then  occupied  himself  with  an  activity,  which 
was  urged  on  by  the  revengeful  hatred  of  the  English,  to  assemble  the  tri- 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  91 

bunal  which  was  to  pass  sentence  upon  Joan.  Meantime  she  had  been 
transported  from  the  chateau  of  Beaurevoir,  to  the  prisons  of  Arras  and 
Crotoy,  and  from  the  latter  city  she  had  been  conducted  to  Rouen,  where 
was  the  young  King  Harry,  poor  youth,  who  was  totally  unconscious  of 
the  crime  in  which  he  was  participating.  On  arriving  at  Rouen,  Joan  was 
conducted  to  the  large  tower,  where  they  had  prepared  for  her  an  iron  cage, 
which  closed  with  two  padlocks,  and  in  which  she  was  still  further  secured 
by  chains  upon  each  ancle.  There,  she  was  exposed  to  the  outrages  of 
the  multitude  like  a  wild  animal.  The  soldiers  insulted  her,  and  pricked 
her  with  the  points  of  their  lances,  to  make  her  rise,  whenever  they  wished 
to  show  her  to  any  persons  of  distinction.  The  Seigneur  of  Luxemburg 
himself,  after  having  received  the  price  of  her  blood,  had  the  cruel  curiosity 
to  come  and  see  her  a  last  time ;  he  was  accompanied  by  the  Count  of 
Warwick  and  the  Count  of  Strafford:  "Joan,"  said  he  smiling,  "I  have 
come  to  ransom  you,  but  you  must  promise  never  to  draw  your  sword 
against  me."  "Alas!"  replied  the  young  girl,  "I  know  that  you  mock 
me,  for  you  have  sold  me,  and  have  neither  the  will  nor  the  power  to  ransom 
me.  Moreover,  I  know  that  the  English  will  put  me  to  death,  thinking,  by 
that,  to  gain  the  kingdom  of  France :  but  in  that  matter  they  will  be  disap- 
pointed, for  were  they  an  hundred  times  more  numerous  than  they  are,  this 
kingdom  would  never  be  theirs."  At  these  words  the  Count  of  Strafford 
was  so  enraged,  that  he  insulted  her  in  the  grossest  manner,  and  even  drew 
his  sword  to  strike  her ;  but  the  Count  of  Warwick  prevented  him  at  the 
moment  when  Joan,  perceiving  his  intention,  sprang  forward  to  throw  her- 
self upon  his  sword. 

But,  captive  as  she  was,  shut  up  in  an  iron  cage,  chained  and  guarded, 
poor  Joan  inspired  her  enemies  with  so  much  terror,  that  letters  written  in 
the  name  of  the  king  of  England,  and  dated  December  12th,  1430,  gave 
orders  to  arrest  and  bring  before  the  councils  of  war,  every  soldier  who 
should  abandon  his  colours  through  fear  inspired  by  Joan.  In  fact,  latterly, 
no  army  was  willing  to  march  against  her,  and  the  soldiers  chose  rather  to 
expose  themselves  to  death  by  desertion  than  by  combat. 

The  preparations  for  Joan's  trial  were  pursued  with  the  greatest  activity  ; 
finally,  on  Wednesday,  the  21st  of  February,  1431,  the  tribunal  assembled 
in  the  royal  chapel  of  Rouen,  and  the  letters,  by  which  the  king  ordered  La 
Pucelle  to  be  delivered  to  ecclesiastical  justice,  were  read  in  presence  of  the 
following  gentlemen,  viz :  Siegneur  Gilles,  the  Abbot  of  Fecamp,  John 
Beaupere,  John  de  Chatillon,  Jacques  le  Terrier,  Nicolas  Midi,  Gerrard 
Feuillet,  William  Hecton,  Thomas  de  Courcel,  and  Master  Richard  Prate. 
Then  Master  Jehan  Estevit,  proctor  of  the  trial,  demanded  that  Joan  should 
be  brought  forward  to  be  interrogated,  which  was  instantly  complied  with  by 
the  bishop.  An  usher  presented  a  petition,  desiring,  that  before  the  opening 
of  the  trial  she  might  be  permitted  to  hear  mass.  The  bishop  and  judges 
deliberated  upon  it,  and  decided  that  her  request  ought  not  to  be  granted,  in 
view  of  the  crimes  of  which  she  was  accused.  The  order  was  conse- 


92  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

quently  given  to  conduct  her  immediately  before  the  tribunal.  Joan  was 
brought  forward,  and  the  same  day  the  examination  commenced. 

It  was  then  that  Joan  showed  herself  truly  great  and  beautiful.  The  poor 
young  girl,  who  could  neither  read  nor  write,  who  had  only  been  taught  to 
sew  and  spin,  and  whose  whole  learning,  as  she  said  herself,  was  confined  to 
her  Pater,  her  Jive.  Maria,  and  her  Creed,  the  poor  solitary  prisoner,  with- 
out human  counsel,  supported  solely  by  God  and  her  conscience,  showed 
herself  always  calm,  often  energetic,  and  sometimes  truly  sublime.  We  will 
content  ourselves  with  citing,  in  order  to  give  our  readers  an  idea  of  that 
majestic  character,  some  questions  and  replies,  taken  almost  at  random  from 
her  examination : 

Being  admonished  to  swear  upon  the  holy  gospels  that  she  would  say 
the  truth  in  all  things  upon  which  she  was  interrogated, 

Joan  replied :  "  I  will  not  swear,  seeing  there  are  such  things  concerning 
the  king  of  France,  upon  which  I  cannot  answer  to  his  enemies." 

"  But,"  replied  the  Bishop,  "  you  will  swear  at  least  to  tell  the  truth  upon 
whatever  concerns  the  Catholic  faith,  and  those  things  which  pertain  to 
yourself  alone?" 

Joan  replied,  that  "  concerning  her  father  and  mother,  and  every  thing 
that  she  had  done  since  she  left  Domremy,  she  was  ready  to  answer,  and 
would  willingly  swear  to  tell  the  truth ;  but  concerning  the  revelations  made 
to  her  by  God,  and  which  she  had  never  confided  to  any  one  but  King 
Charles,  they  might  cut  her  head  off  before  she  would  reveal  them,  without 
the  permission  of  God  and  King  Charles." 

This  reply  was  made  with  the  simplicity  of  a  young  girl,  and  the  firmness 
of  a  hero  ;  the  bishop  then  admonished  her  to  swear  to  tell  the  truth  in  what- 
ever regarded  the  faith.  Joan  then  knelt  down,  laid  her  two  hands  upon  the 
missal,  and  swore  that  she  would  say  the  truth  upon  things  concerning  the 
faith  ;  but  she  added  that  of  her  revelations  she  would  tell  nothing,  unless 
she  received  permission  to  do  it  from  the  same  voice  who  had  made  them  to 
her.  Then  addressing  herself  to  the  bishop,  looking  him  steadily  in  the  face  : 

"Look  well  to  it,"  said  she,  "before  you  make  yourself  my  judge,  for 
in  the  name  of  God,  I  affirm,  that  you  are  taking  a  heavy  charge  upon 
yourself." 

Being  interrogated  upon  the  place  of  her  birth,  her  age,  and  the  education 
she  had  received, 

She  replied,  that  she  was  born  at  Domremy,  that  she  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  that  she  knew  the  Pater  Noster,  the  rfve  Maria,  and  the 
Creed. 

Interrogated  at  what  time  she  had  her  first  revelations,  and  by  what 
intermedial, 

She  replied,  that  it  was  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  and  by  the  same 
voice  which  had  ever  since  instructed  her  what  to  do  ;  that  the  first  time 
she  heard  the  voice  she  was  much  afraid ;  that  it  was  in  the  summer  time, 
at  mid-day,  and  that  she  was  in  her  father's  garden. 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

Interrogated  upon  what  the  voice  ordered  her, 

She  replied,  that  two  or  three  times  a  week  the  voice  ordered  her  to 
depart  immediately,  without  the  knowledge  of  her  father,  and  go  to  raise 
the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  conduct  the  Dauphin  to  Reims  to  be  crowned. 

Interrogated  if,  when  she  left  her  father  and  mother,  she  believed  she  was 
acting  wickedly, 

She  replied :  When  God  commanded  it,  if  I  had  had  a  hundred  fathers 
and  mothers,  and  had  I  been  the  daughter  of  a  king,  I  would  have  obeyed. 

Interrogated  if  she  met  with  any  hindrance  on  the  road, 
I    She  replied,  that  she  went  to  the  king  directly  without  any  hindrance. 

Interrogated  in  what  place  the  king  was, 

She  replied,  that  she  found  him  at  Chinon,  where  she  arrived  about  noon ; 
that  she  put  up  at  a  small  hotel,  and  that  after  dinner  she  went  to  see  the 
king  in  his  chateau. 

Interrogated  if  the  king  was  pointed  out  to  her, 

She  replied,  that  he  was  not,  but  that  she  knew  him  by  the  counsel  of  her 
voices. 

Interrogated  of  what  material  his  standard  was, 

She  replied,  that  it  was  white  satin. 

Interrogated  by  what  sorcery  she  inspired  the  soldiers  who  followed  her 
banner,  with  so  much  courage, 

She  replied,  I  said  : — Enter  boldly  among  the  English,  and  I  entered  first 
myself. 

Interrogated  why  her  standard,  at  the  coronation,  was  nearer  the  choir 
than  any  other, 

She  replied : — It  was  but  just,  that  being  the  foremost  in  trouble,  it  should 
be  the  first  in  honour. 

Interrogated  if  the  hope  of  victory  was  founded  in  herself  or  in  her 
standard, 

She  replied : — It  was  founded  in  God,  and  nought  else. 

Interrogated  if  those  of  her  party  firmly  believed  that  she  was  sent  from 
God, 

She  replied  : — If  they  believe  it,  they  are  not  deceived. 

Interrogated  if  St.  Michael,  when  he  appeared  to  her,  was  naked  or 
clothed, 

She  replied: — Do  you  not  suppose  that  God  has  wherewith  to  clothe 
him  ? 

Interrogated  if  she  made  the  sortie  of  Compiegne  at  the  instigation  of 
her  voices, 

She  replied  : — That  being  one  day  upon  the  fosse  at  Melun,  her  voices 
told  her  that  before  mid-summer  she  would  be  taken  by  the  English  ;  but 
that  she  must  not  be  desponding,  b.ut  on  the  contrary  she  must  take  it  as 
coming  from  the  Lord,  and  the  Lord  would  assist  her. 

Interrogated  if,  since  that  time,  her  voices  had  renewed  the  same  warning 
to  her, 


94  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN. 

She  replied : — That  she  had  received  it  several  times,  and  that  she  had 
asked  when  and  where  it  would  happen,  but  her  voices  made  no  reply. 

Interrogated  that  if,  in  case  she  had  known  that  she  would  have  been 
taken,  she  would  have  made  that  sally, 

She  replied,  that  she  would  not  have  done  it  of  her  own  accord,  but  if  her 
voices  had  ordered  her  to  do  it,  she  would  have  obeyed  them  to  the  letter. 

Interrogated  why  she  leapt  from  the  tower  of  Beaurevoir,  into  the  fosse, 

She  replied : — It  was  my  choice  to  die  rather  than  to  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  English. 

Interrogated  if  her  voices  had  advised  this  means  of  escape, 

She  replied,  that  on  the  contrary  they  had  forbidden  her  to  do  it,  and 
that  it  was  the  first  time  she  had  disobeyed  them. 

Interrogated  if,  in  leaping  thus,  she  expected  to  be  killed, 

She  replied,  that  she  did  not  know  whether  she  would  be  or  not,  but  as 
she  took  the  leap,  she  recommended  herself  to  God. 

Interrogated  if,  after  this  attempt  at  flight,  she  was  sorry  for  having  acted 
contrary  to  the  advice  of  her  voices, 

She  replied  :— My  penance  was  the  pain  I  caused  myself  in  falling. 

Interrogated  if  the  wound  was  serious, 

She  replied,  that  she  could  not  tell,  that  she  only  knew  that  for  three  or 
four  days  she  could  neither  eat  nor  drink  ;  but  that  she  was  at  last  consoled 
by  St.  Catharine,  who  ordered  her  to  confess,  and  thank  God  that  she  had 
not  destroyed  herself;  that,  moreover,  the  people  of  Compiegne  would 
have  succour  before  St.  Martin's  day  ;  and  upon  this  consolation  she  com- 
menced to  eat,  and  was  soon  cured. 

Interrogated  if  her  voices  had  told  her  that  she  would  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  English, 

She  replied,  that  her  voices  had  said  to  her  : — Take  all  patiently,  and 
be  not  troubled  by  reason  of  thy  martyrdom,  for  it  is  the  road  to  heaven. 

Interrogated  if,  since  her  voices  had  made  her  this  promise,  she  truly 
believed  that  she  would  go  to  paradise, 

She  replied,  that  she  believed  it  as  firmly  as  if  she  were  already  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  as  they  had  told  her  that  this  promise  was  of 
the  highest  importance,  she  cherished  it  as  her  greatest  treasure. 

Interrogated  if,  after  such  a  revelation,  she  believed  herself  to  be  in  the 
grace  of  God, 

She  replied  : — If  I  am  not,  I  pray  God  to  put  me  there  ;  if  I  am,  I  pray 
God  to  keep  me  there. 

It  was  thus  that  Joan  replied  ;  it  was  thus  that  the  young  girl,  after  hav- 
ing passed  from  faith  to  heroism,  passed  from  heroism  to  martyrdom  ;  for 
however  godly  were  her  replies,  and  however  clear  her  innocence,  they 
had  determined  to  condemn  her. 

Nevertheless,  they  dared  not  yet  speak  of  death,  for  all  their  accusa- 
tions of  sorcery  and  impiety  had  been  successively  defeated  by  Joan.  Pre- 
vious to  her  examination,  they  had  introduced  into  her  prison  a  miserable 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  95 

wretch,  named  Loyseleur,  who  gave  himself  out  for  a  priest  of  Lorraine: 
who,  like  herself,  was  suffering  persecution  and  martyrdom.  This  pre- 
tended priest  had  several  times  heard  her  confession,  whilst  the  Count  of 
Warwick  and  the  Duke  of  Bedford  were  listening,  concealed  behind  some 
tapestry.  But  Joan's  confession  was  pure  as  an  angel's,  and  they  could 
not  surprise  her  by  that  means  ;  being  obliged  to  renounce  this  plan,  the 
infamous  spy  left  her  prison  one  morning  for  ever.  They  had  sent  to  Dom- 
remy  to  get  information  with  regard  to  Joan's  character,  and  the  whole 
country  unanimously  replied  that  Joan  was  a  saint. 

They  had  assembled  learned  medical  doctors,  and  a  jury  of  venerable 
matrons,  who  had  all  declared  Joan  to  be  an  unspotted  virgin  ;  they  could 
not  then  possibly  say  that  Joan  had  made  a  league  with  the  devil,  since 
the  ritual  positively  declares  that  the  devil  cannot  form  a  compact  wilh  a 
virgin. 

All  these  accusations  being  destroyed,  one  after  the  other,  her  accusers 
took  refuge  in  some  miserable  subtleties  ;  for  instance,  she  refused  to  sub- 
mit herself  to  the  church,  and  she  continued  to  wear  the  dress  of  a  man. 

Her  refusal  to  submit  herself,  was  a  snare  into  which  her  judges  had 
made  her  fall ;  they  had  made  so  subtle  a  distinction  between  the  church 
triumphant  in  heaven,  and  the  church  militant  upon  earth,  that  notwith- 
standing its  lucid  and  prompt  conception,  she  was  not  able  to  comprehend 
it ;  so  much  had  they  mystified  a  plain  simple  truth.  Besides,  that  mise- 
rable priest — whom  she  supposed  to  be  a  man  of  God,  and  whose  absence 
she  lamented  every  day — had  persuaded  her,  that  to  submit  herself  to  the 
church,  was  to  acknowledge  a  tribunal  composed  entirely  of  her  enemies. 

As  to  her  obstinacy  in  wearing  a  man's  dress,  the  reason  is  obvious,  as 
it  quite  naturally  explains  itself:  Joan,  being  young  and  beautiful,  had 
several  times  been  rudely  assailed  by  her  keepers — who,  it  was  said,  were 
even  encouraged  in  this  wickedness  by  the  Duke  of  Bedford — and  she 
thought  herself  better  protected  by  a  man's  dress  than  by  a  woman's. 

Nevertheless,  several  of  the  judges  were  stung  with  remorse  at  their 
unjust  proceedings,  and  one  among  them,  being  overwhelmed  by  the  voice 
of  his  conscience,  suggested  to  Joan  in  the  face  of  the  whole  tribunal,  the 
idea  of  appealing  to  the  general  council  of  Bale,  which  was  at  that  time 
assembled. 

"  What  is  a  general  council  ?"  demanded  Joan. 

"It  is  an  assemblage  of  the  whole  church,  universal,"  replied  brother 
Isambert,  "  where  you  will  find  as  many  doctors  of  your  party  as  of  the 
English  party." 

"Oh!  in  that  case,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  Joan,  "be  assured  I  not 
only  submit  myself  to  it,  but  claim  it  as  a  right." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  devil's  imp !"  interrupted  the  bishop  ;  then  turn- 
ing towards  the  apostolic  notary  :  "  I  forbid  you,"  said  he,  "  to  insert  that 
demand  in  the  verbal  process." 

"  Alas!"  replied  the  poor  girl,  with  that  sad  tone  of  resignation  which 


96  JOAN,    THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

had  become  habitual  to  her,  "  you  write  down  every  thing  that  is  against 
me,  but  you  will  write  nothing  that  is  for  me." 

When  the  tribunal  broke  up,  the  Count  of  Warwick  waited  at  the  door 
for  brother  Isambert ;  when  he  saw  him,  he  advanced  towards  him  with 
uplifted  hand  ;  but,  reflecting  upon  the  danger  which  he  incurred  by  strik- 
ing an  ecclesiastic,  he  lowered  it ;  then,  with  a  tone  which  implied  all  the 
threat  of  his  gesture : 

"  Why,"  said  he,  "  did  you  prompt  that  girl  this  morning  ?  Blood  and 
oons !  villain,  if  I  see  you  inclined  to  take  sides  with  her,  I'll  throw  you 
into  the  Seine." 

The  examination  being  finished,  the  judges  assembled  on  the  12th  of 
May,  at  the  residence  of  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais ;  there — as  they  dared 
not  take  upon  themselves  alone  the  responsibility  of  so  iniquitous  a  judg- 
ment as  that  to  which  Joan  was  destined — they  prepared  twelve  incorrect 
false  articles,  which  they  sent  for  consultation,  under  the  form  of  a  memo- 
rial, without  even  naming  the  accused,  to  the  university  of  Paris,  to  the 
Chapter  of  Rouen,  to  the  Bishops  of  Contances,  of  Avranches,  and  of 
Lisieux,  and  to  fifty  or  sixty  doctors  who  had  been  lateral  judges  in  the 
trial.  The  reply  was  as  follows  :  "  That  the  accused  had  lightly  or  pre- 
sumptuously believed  in  apparitions  and  revelations  which  doubtless  pro- 
ceeded from  the  evil  spirit ;  that  she  had  blasphemed  God  by  maintaining 
that  he  had  ordered  her  to  wear  the  dress  of  a  man.  and  that  she  was  a 
heretic  by  refusing  to  submit  herself  to  the  church." 

During  this  tedious  inquest  Joan  fell  sick  ;  then,  orders  arrived  to  have 
the  greatest  care  taken  of  her,  and  the  best  physicians  in  Paris  were  sent 
to  attend  her.  "  For  the  empire  of  the  world,"  said  the  Count  of  War- 
wick, "  the  king  would  not  have  her  die  a  natural  death ;  he  has  pur- 
chased her  dearly  enough,  to  do  with  her  as  he  pleases,  and  he  intends 
that  she  shall  be  burnt  alive." 

Joan  recovered,  as  the  king  of  England  desired  ;  and  as  she  might,  with 
all  the  fatigue  of  mind  and  body  that  she  endured,  fall  sick  a  second  time 
and  never  rise,  they  urged  the  sentence,  and  the  sentence  was  passed  :  it 
was — as  is  usual  with  ecclesiastical  judgments — a  declaration  made  to  the 
accused,  that  she  was  cast  off  from  the  church  as  a  corrupt  member,  and 
that  she  was  delivered  over  to  secular  justice.  The  counsellors,  however, 
added,  that  in  case  the  accused  would  consent  to  recant  and  to  renounce 
her  man's  dress,  they  would  engage  the  judges  to  moderate  the  penalty. 

But  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  persuade  the  inspired  maiden  that  the  reve- 
lations which  she  continued  to  have,  and  from  which  alone  she  derived 
strength  and  consolation,  proceeded  from  the  evil  spirit,  and  not  from  God. 
They  endeavoured  at  first  to  conquer  what  they  called  her  obstinacy,  by 
the  fear  of  torture.  The  Bishop  of  Beauvais  went  to  her  prison,  with  the 
executioner  and  the  instruments  of  torture.  They  announced  to  Joan, 
that  if  she  would  not  abjure  and  acknowledge  her  heresies,  they  were 
going  to  put  her  to  torments ;  at  the  same  time  the  executioner  prepared 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  97 

the  chevalet,  an  instrument  of  torture,  made  like  a  horse.  Joan,  seeing 
these  preparations,  became  deadly  pale,  hut  her  constancy  was  not  shaken 
for  an  instant,  and  turning  towards  the  bishop  : 

"  You  may  do  it,"  said  she  ;  "but  I  warn  you  that  the  misery  which 
you  inflict  upon  my  body  and  soul,  will  fall  upon  your  body  and  soul." 
This  menace,  of  course,  was  not  sufficient  to  arrest  her  persecutor ;  but  as 
Joan  was  still  very  weak  from  her  recent  illness,  the  physician  declared 
that  it  was  very  possible  she  might  die  in  the  torments. 

As  her  death  was  the  misfortune  that  the  English  were  most  anxious  to 
avoid,  and  as  Pierre  Cauchon  held  himself  in  some  manner  responsible 
for  the  head  of  Joan,  they  again  had  recourse  to  that  miserable  priest, 
Loyseleur,  who  had  before  been  foiled  in  his  attempts  to  extract  any  thing 
from  the  poor  girl  which  might  be  turned  to  her  injury.  He  crept  into 
Joan's  dungeon,  and  pretended  that  he  had  moved  the  gaoler  by  his  prayers 
to  let  him  enter.  Joan  received  him  as  her  spiritual  liberator,  and  the 
wretch  advised  her  to  submit  to  whatever  they  should  require  of  her, 
assuring  her  that  when  once  she  submitted,  she  would  pass  directly  from 
the  chains  of  the  English  into  the  hands  of  the  church.  Joan  combated 
all  one  night  the  sophisms  of  this  villain,  opposing  to  them  the  clear  logic 
of  her  own  mind  ;  but  at  length,  believing  that  it  was  through  pure  devo- 
tedness  that  he  gave  her  this  advice,  and  humbling  her  own  ignorance 
before  the  wisdom  of  him  whom  she  regarded  as  the  man  of  God,  she  pro- 
mised to  submit  to  all  their  requirements. 

Consequently,  the  day  after  this  promise,  that  is  to  say,  the  24th  of 
May,  1431,  Joan  was  taken  from  her  prison  and  conducted  to  the  place  of 
the  cemetery  St.  Ouen,  there  to  hear  her  sentence.  Two  scaffolds  had 
been  erected:  one  for  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  the  vice-inquisitor,  the 
Cardinal  of  Winchester,  the  Bishop  of  Noyou,  the  Bishop  of  Bologna, 
and  thirty-three  side  judges  ;  the  other,  for  Joan  and  William  Erard,  who 
was  appointed  to  address  her ;  at  the  foot  of  the  scaffold  was  the  execu- 
tioner, with  his  cart  all  ready,  in  case  of  a  refusal  on  the  part  of  Joan,  to 
conduct  her  to  the  old  market-place,  where  the  funeral  pile  awaited  her. 
Every  thing,  as  we  see,  was  prepared,  if  occasion  required,  to  finish  the 
horrible  catastrophe  without  delay. 

The  whole  population  of  Rouen  seemed  to  be  divided  into  two  parties ; 
one  party  awaited  Joan  upon  the  place  of  the  cemetery,  and  the  other  at 
the  door  of  her  prison,  and  in  the  streets  through  which  she  was  to  pass ; 
this  latter  portion,  as  she  advanced,  fell  in  the  rear  and  followed  on,  so  that, 
on  arriving  at  the  square,  which  was  already  filled,  the  press  became  so 
great  that  they  were  obliged  to  make  use  of  their  swords  and  bayonets  to 
open  a  passage  to  the  scaffold. 

Hardly  was  Joan  mounted  upon  the  scaffold,  than  William  Erard  com- 
menced his  harangue,  and  strove  to  crush  her  under  the  weight  of  a  dis- 
course filled  not  only  with  accusations  but  insults.  Joan  listened  to  this 

7 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN*. 

polemic  with  her  usual  resignation,  without  uttering  a  word  in  reply, 
appearing  to  be  deeply  absorbed  in  mental  prayer,  as  if  she  did  not  hear 
the  words  of  the  orator.  This  apparent  insensibility  exasperated  William 
Erard  so  much,  that  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  young  girl's  shoulder,  and 
shaking  her  rudely:  "  It  is  to  you  I  speak,"  roared  he,  "  and  not  only  to 
you,  but  to  your  king,  whom  I  declare  to  be  a  schismatic  and  a  heretic." 
At  these  words  Joan  rose  up  to  defend,  with  her  tongue,  the  ungrateful 
monarch  whom  she  had  defended  with  her  sword. 

"  By  my  faith,  saving  your  reverence,"  cried  she,  "  I  dare  swear  to 
you,  upon  pain  of  death,  that  the  king  whom  you  insult  is  the  most  noble 
of  Christians  ;  one  who  loves  the  faith  and  the  church  most  truly,  and  does 
not  merit  the  odious  name  you  give  to  him." 

"  Silence  her,  silence  her!"  cried  out  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais  and  Wil- 
liam Erard,  with  one  voice,  to  Massieu,  the  beadle. 

Then  the  beadle  arose,  and  thrusting  Joan  into  her  seat,  he  took  the 
schedule  of  abjuration,  and  read  it  aloud  to  her ;  having  finished  reading, 
he  handed  the  schedule  to  Joan,  saying:  "Abjure  !" 

"  Alas !"  said  Joan,  "  I  do  not  know  what  you  mean  by  ordering  me  to 
abjure." 

"Explain  it  to  her  then,"  cried  the  bishop,  "and  above  all  use  dis- 
patch." 

The  beadle  then  approached  Joan ;  it  was  his  office  to  accompany  cri- 
minals to  prison,  to  the  tribunal,  and  to  the  scaffold,  and  even  this  man, 
accustomed  as  he  was  to  scenes  of  horror,  when  he  saw  the  candour  and 
resignation  of  Joan,  felt  himself  softened  by  a  strong  emotion  of  pity,  and 
advised  her,  instead  of  abjuring,  to  appeal  to  the  Pope. 

Joan  then  rose,  and  with  a  gentle  but  firm  voice,  she  said  : 

"  I  will  first  refer  myself  to  the  church  universal,  to  know  whether  I 
ought  to  abjure  or  not." 

"Abjure  without  condition,  abjure  instantly,"  cried  William  Erard,  "or 
by  the  God  of  Heaven,  I  swear  this  shall  be  your  last  day,  and  before 
night  you  shall  be  burned  alive." 

At  this  threat,  Joan  turned  pale  and  trembled  ;  her  strength  was  almost 
exhausted,  and  two  great  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks  ;  the  heroine  gave 
place  to  the  woman. 

"  Ah  well !"  said  she,  her  voice  broken  by  sobs,  "  I  declare  that  I  will 
refer  the  whole  matter  to  my  judges,  and  to  our  holy  mother  the  church." 

"  Sign  then,"  said  William  Erard,  presenting  her  a  paper  which  he  took 
from  the  hands  of  Laurent  Callot,  Secretary  to  the  King  of  England. 

"What  is  that?"  demanded  the  maiden. 

"The  act  of  abjuration  which  has  just  been  read  to  you,  and  by  which 
you  promise  never  more  to  bear  arms,  to  let  your  hair  grow,  and  to  re- 
nounce the  dress  of  a  man." 

"  But,"  said  Joan,  hesitating,  "  the  one  you  read  to  me  just  now  seemed 
shorter  than  this." 


JOAN,  THE    HEHOIC    MAIDEN. 

"  No,  it  is  the  same,"  said  William  Erard,  and  putting  a  pen  in  her  hand, 
and  placing  her  hand  upon  the  paper:  "Sign,"  said  he,  "sign  instantly, 
if  not" —  here  he  called  out  to  the  executioner,  who,  backing  his  horse  a 
little,  brought  the  cart  into  full  view  before  the  scaffold. 

"  Alas  !"  said  Joan  of  Arc,  "  God  is  witness  that  I  am  here  alone  against 
you  all,  and  if  you  deceive  me  it  is  most  infamous." 

At  these  words  she  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  as  if  to  implore  a  last 
counsel  from  God.  Then,  dropping  her  head  upon  her  breast,  with  a  deep 
sigh,  she  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  which  was,  as  we  know,  the  only  sig- 
nature she  could  trace. 

But  this  abjuration,  which  was  calculated  to  render  Joan  infamous,  in 
confessing  that  all  that  she  had  accomplished  had  been  done  contrary  to  the 
counsel  and  will  of  God,  and  by  the  suggestion  of  evil  spirits — for,  as 
Joan  suspected,  they  had  absolutely  made  her  sign  a  schedule,  different 
from  that  which  was  read  to  her — this  abjuration,  I  say,  saved  her  life  ;  for 
the  consultation  had  said,  that  in  case  the  accused  would  abjure,  let  her 
hair  grow,  and  wear  the  dress  of  a  woman,  they  would  implore  for  her  the 
mercy  of  the  judges. 

At  the  moment  Joan  abjured,  a  great  clamour  arose  in  the  crowd;  the 
French  uttering  exclamations  of  joy  upon  seeing  her  saved,  and  the  Eng- 
lish pouring  forth  execrations  and  threats. 

Then  the  Bishop  of  Beauvais  rose,  and  making  a  sign  that  he  wished  to 
read  the  sentence,  he  imposed  silence  upon  that  vast  multitude  agitated  by 
divers  sentiments.  We  here  transcribe  the  sentence. 

In  nomine  Domini,  amen. 

"All  pastors  of  the  church,  who  have  a  desire  to  conduct  the  people  of 
God,  must  faithfully  and  diligently  watch,  lest  the  devil  by  his  subtle  arts 
and  frauds  should  seduce  and  deceive  the  flock  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  he 
is  constantly  seeking  to  do ;  for  which  cause  it  is  necessary  by  great  dili- 
gence to  resist  all  false  and  disloyal  enterprises;  as  thou  Joan,  vulgarly 
called  La  Pucelle,  hast  been  circumvented  by  many  errors  in  the  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ,  for  which  thou  hast  been  called  into  judgment,  and  having 
been  witnessed,  by  us,  all  the  points  and  articles  of  thy  process,  the  con- 
fessions, replies  and  assertions  made  by  thee ;  and  the  whole  trial  having 
been  seen  and  deliberated  upon  by  the  masters  and  doctors  of  the  theo- 
logical faculty  of  Paris,  and  by  many  prelates  and  doctors,  both  in  eccle- 
siastical and  civil  law,  residing  in  this  city  of  Rouen,  by  whom  thou  hast 
been  long  and  charitably  admonished,  notwithstanding  which  admonitions 
and  remonstrances  thou  hast  rashly  sinned  with  open  mouth,  for  all  these 
things,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  do  salutary  penance,  we  condemn  thee 
to  perpetual  imprisonment,  with  the  bread  of  grief  and  the  water  of 
anguish,  that  thou  mayest  bewail  thy  sins,  and  commit  no  more  hence- 
forward, saving  our  grace  and  moderation,  if  thy  future  conduct  shall 
merit  it." 


100  JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

After  the  reading  of  this  sentence,  William  Erard  rose  and  cried  out 
three  times  :  "  O  France  !  France  ;  thou  hast  been  seduced  by  a  woman 
who  has  made  thee  heretic !" 

But  Joan  rose  and  with  a  loud  voice  she  exclaimed  :  "  That  is  not  true, 
that  is  not  true,  say  it  of  me,  if  you  will,  but  not  of  France,  for  it  is  a 
sacred  kingdom." 

"  Silence,"  cried  they,  "  silence,  Joan,  it  is  not  so  long  since  your  mer- 
ciful sentence  was  passed  but  that  it  may  be  revoked." 

"Ah,  well !"  said  Joan,  "  as  has  been  agreed  upon,  let  me  be  taken 
from  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  led  to  the  prisons  of  the  church." 

But  without  heeding  this  claim,  founded  as  it  was  upon  a  positive  pro- 
mise, Joan  was  reconducted  to  the  large  tower.  She  was  soon  followed 
by  the  vicar  of  the  inquisition,  and  by  several  of  her  judges,  who  came  to 
make  her  feel  the  price  of  the  pardon  she  had  received,  and  to  signify  to 
her  to  abandon  her  man's  dress.  Joan  meekly  replied  that  she  was  ready 
to  obey  strictly  to  the  tenor  of  the  judgment.  They  brought  her  a  box  of 
female  attire.  Joan  desired  to  be  left  alone,  and  then  changed  her  dress  ; 
the  English  then  entered,  and  passing  a  chain  round  her  waist  they  made 
it  fast  to  an  iron  post  in  the  middle  of  her  prison :  at  night,  two  chains 
fixed  at  the  foot  of  her  bed  responded  for  her  security ;  besides,  she  was 
guarded  by  five  soldiers,  three  of  them  were  stationed  within  her  dungeon 
and  two  at  the  door. 

Nevertheless,  the  design  of  the  English  was  not  accomplished.  It  was 
not  torture  they  desired,  nothing  short  of  her  death  could  satisfy  them  : 
also  the  count  of  Warwick,  as  he  was  leaving  her  prison,  expressed  all 
his  anger  to  Pierre  Cauchon,  telling  him  that  the  king  of  England  would 
be  so  much  displeased  that  Joan  was  not  delivered  to  death,  that  he  would 
certainly  blame  him  for  the  mildness  of  the  judgment. 

"In  God's  name  be  quiet,"  said  the  Bishop,  "she  is  not  yet  saved,  and 
we  may  yet  find  occasion  to  destroy  her." 

In  fact,  this  occasion,  so  ardently  desired  by  the  English,  soon  presented 
itself.  Joan,  shut  up  in  her  dungeon,  with  three  of  her  keepers,  had  been 
obliged,  the  very  night  of  her  abjuration,  to  defend  herself  against  their 
violence.  Foreseeing  that  those  men,  from  whom  she  knew  she  had 
every  thing  to  fear,  would  renew  their  attempts  of  this  kind,  she  watched 
until  her  keepers  had  fallen  asleep,  then  stealing  from  her  bed  she  retook 
her  man's  dress — which  doubtless  had  been  purposely  placed  within  her 
reach — so  that  the  first  who  entered  her  prison  in  the  morning,  pferceiving 
that  she  had  on  her  man's  dress — uttered  a  cry  of  joy  and  communicated 
the  welcome  intelligence  to  the  others.  Joan  had  broken  the  oath  which 
she  had  taken  never  to  quit  the  dress  of  a  woman  ;  Joan,  consequently, 
merited  death. 

The  Bishop  of  Beauvais  being  informed  of  this  infraction — for  which, 
by  the  way,  he  was  quite  prepared — hastened  to  the  prison,  and  in  spite  of 
Joan's  declaration  that  fear  alone  of  a  misfortune  which  she  dreaded  more 


• 

JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  101 

than  death,  had  decided  her  to  commit  this  perjury,  and  in  spite  of  the 
traces  of  the  struggle  upon  her  face  and  arms,  he  prepared  the  verbal  pro- 
cess of  her  disobedience;  this  verbal  process'  being  finished,  he  went  out 
joyfully  from  the  prison,  and  meeting  the  Count  of  Warwick  upon  the 
stairs:  "  Make  yourself  easy,  count,"  said  he,  "  for  the  thing  is  done  !" 

The  next  day  Joan  was  again  conducted  to  the  tribunal:  interrogated 
upon  the  causes  which  had  led  her  to  disobey  the  church,  she  related  every 
thing;  but  they  took  care  not  to  consign  this  declaration  to  the  interroga- 
tory, for  by  simply  exposing  the  facts  the  whole  crime  would  be  thrown 
upon  her  enemies.  Then  Joan,  strong  in  her  innocence,  thus  apostro- 
phized her  judges: 

"  If  I  had  been  in  the  ecclesiastical  prison,  and  guarded  by  churchmen, 
nothing  of  all  this  would  have  happened,  and  1  should  not  now  be  the 
miserable  being  I  am.  But  for  all  that  happens  to  me,  I  appeal  to  God, 
the  great  judge  of  the  wrongs  and  injustices  inflicted  upon  me." 

But  all  that  Joan  could  say  was  useless  ;  her  death  was  resolved  upon, 
and  her  pretended  disobedience  was  the  only  pretext  upon  which  her  mur- 
derers supported  themselves  ;  accordingly  on  Wednesday  the  31st  of  May, 
after  a  deliberation  in  which  it  was  acknowledged  that  Joan,  being  yet 
obstinate  in  her  errors,  had,  through  malice  and  diabolical  obstinacy, 
falsely  showed  signs  of  repentance ;  that  she  had  abused  the  sacred  and 
divine  name  of  God,  blasphemed  damnably  in  showing  herself  an  incorri- 
gible heretic,  that,  in  short,  she  had  relapsed  into  heresy  and  error,  which 
rendered  her  unworthy  of  all  mercy,  she  merited  the  following  sentence. 
Eight  days  passed  between  the  provisional  and  the  definitive  sentence,  so 
we  see  that  the  English,  together  with  Pierre  Cauchon,  did  not  suffer  their 
patience  to  be  tried  by  a  long  delay  : 

In  nomine  Domini,  amen. 

"  We,  Pierre,  by  the  grace  of  God,  Bishop  of  Beauvais,  and  we,  bro- 
ther Jehan  Magislri,  Vicar  of  the  Inquisition  of  Faith,  competent  in  this 
party : 

"As  thou,  Joan,  called  La  Pucelle,  hast  been  found  by  us  to  have  fallen 
into  divers  errors  and  crimes  of  schism  and  idolatry,  of  invocation  of  the 
devil,  and  of  many  other  misdeeds,  and  that  for  these  causes  we  have  here- 
tofore justly  declared  thee  to  be  schismatic  and  idolatrous :  nevertheless, 
because  the  church  never  closes  her  arms  against  those  who  desire  to 
return  to  her,  we  supposed  that  thou  hadst  fully  and  truly  withdrawn  thy- 
self from  all  such  errors,  into  which  thou  hadst  publicly  vowed,  sworn  and 
promised  never  again  to  fall,  but,  on  the  contrary,  to  remain  in  the  union 
and  communion  of  the  holy  catholic  church,  and  of  our  holy  father  the 
Pope,  which  promises  are  contained  in  a  schedule  signed  by  thine  own 
hand ;  nevertheless,  thou  hast  again  fallen  therein,  as  the  dog  returns  to 
his  kennel.  For  this  cause  we  declare  thee  to  have  incurred  the  sentence 

7* 


102  JOAN,   THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

of  excommunication,  which  thou  hadst  at  first  merited,  and  pronounce  thee 
to  be  relapsed  into  thy  former  errors.  Wherefore,  we  declare  thee  to  be 
heretic,  and  by  this  assembly  now  seated  in  the  tribunal  of  justice,  we 
declare  in  this  writing  that  as  a  corrupt  member  we  reject  thee  from  the 
unity  of  the  church,  and  deliver  thee  to  secular  justice,  beseeching  for  thee 
humane  treatment,  whether  in  loss  of  life  or  limb." 

The  same  day  about  eleven  o'clock  this  fatal  decree  was  read  to  Joan. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    MARTYRDOM. 

JOAN  listened  to  the  reading  of  the  sentence  with  tolerable  composure.  For 
seven  months  she  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  her  gaolers  had 
inflicted  such  atrocious  tortures  upon  her  that  she  had  often  longed  for  the 
death  which  now  approached  so  near,  and  which  had  often  been  predicted 
to  her  by  her  voices.  But  the  kind  of  death  was  not  specified  in  the 
sentence ;  Joan  demanded  what  kind  of  death  they  had  reserved  her  for, 
and  they  replied  she  was  to  be  burned. 

At  this  announcement  Joan's  fortitude  completely  forsook  her;  she  dread- 
ed nothing  so  much  as  the  death  to  which  she  was  condemned,  and  in  fear 
of  which  she  had  incurred  the  displeasure  of  her  voices  by  abjuring. 

Habituated  to  war  and  to  the  gleaming  of  swords,  she  could  have  faced 
death  by  the  flashing  steel  with  the  heroism  of  a  warrior,  but  to  be  con- 
sumed by  fire,  that  slow,  cruel,  infamous  death,  was  more  than  her  resigna- 
tion could  endure. 

"Alas  !  alas !"  cried  she,  "  to  reduce  my  body  which  is  pure  and  incor- 
rupt to  ashes  ;  I  would  rather  have  my  head  severed  from  my  body  seven 
times  over.  Ah  !  if,  as  I  demanded,  I  had  been  guarded  by  church  people, 
all  this  would  never  have  happened." 

At  that  moment  Pierre  Cauchon  entered  her  prison  with  several  of  her 
judges. 

"  Bishop,"  cried  Joan,  "  Bishop,  I  die  by  your  hands  ;  but  mark  my 
words,  it  is  a  heavy  charge  you  take  upon  yourself  by  putting  me  to  so 
Cruel  a  death !" 

Then  turning  towards  one  of  the  judges  : 

"  Oh  !  Master  Pierre,"  said  she,  "  where  shall  I  be  to-day  ?" 

"  Have  you  not  good  hope  in  God  ?"  demanded  he. 

"  Oh  !  yes  indeed,"  replied  she,  "  by  God's  help  I  hope  to  go  straight  to 
paradise ;  but  the  fiery  path  which  conducts  to  it — Oh  God !  Oh  God  !" 

"  Have  good  courage,  Joan,"  said  the  same  merciful  judge. 

"  I  think  I  could  have  courage,"  replied  Joan, "  if  they  would  only  send  me 
a  priest  that  I  might  confess  before  I  die.  In  the  name  of  God,  gentlemen, 
will  you  not  allow  me  a  priest." 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  103 

The  judges  then  consulted  among  themselves,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they 
would  send  her  one.  Joan  hearing  this  good  news,  thanked  him  heartily, 
and  desired  that  it  might  be  brother  Loyseleur  ;  for  she  did  not  know  that 
this  man  was  a  traitor,  or  that  he  had  in  any  way  contributed  to  her  death. 
But  the  Bishop  had  heard  that  Loyseleur  had  been  brought  to  repentance  in 
consequence  of  a  vision  which  had  appeared  to  him,  and  that  he  had  made 
two  or  three  efforts  to  penetrate  into  Joan's  prison  to  make  a  full  confession 
to  her.  Accordingly  they  replied  to  Joan  that  what  she  demanded  was  im- 
possible, and  that  they  would  send  her  another  priest.  Upon  this  refusal, 
Joan  insisted  no  farther,  but  begged  them  to  leave  her  alone  that  she  might 
pour  out  her  griefs  before  God. 

As  tha  moment  of  martyrdom  approached,  the  judges — moved  probably 
by  fear  of  the  awful  responsibility  which  Joan  had  called  down  upon  their 
heads — decided  to  send  the  three  men  who  throughout  the  debates  had  con- 
stantly shown  themselves  favourable  to  her,  to  assist  her  in  her  last  moments  ; 
they  were  beadle  Massieu,  Pierre,  one  of  the  lateral  judges,  and  brother 
Martin  Ladvenu. 

As  soon  as  Joan  saw  them  :  "  My  fathers,"  said  she,  "  you  know  that 
my  judges  have  had  pity  on  me,  and  are  going  to  permit  me  to  confess." 

"  They  do  more  still,  my  daughter,"  replied  Martin  Ladvenu,  "  they  per- 
mit me  to  give  you  the  communion." 

"  Blessed  be  God,"  said  Joan,  "  for  it  is  near  seven  months  since  I 
have  received  the  precious  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Saying  these  words  she  knelt  down  where  she  was,  for  the  chain  which 
girdled  her  body  could  not  permit  her  to  remove  from  the  post.  Martin 
Ladvenu  then  took  a  chair  and  sat  down  before  her,  and  as  the  two  assist- 
ants retired  to  a  corner  of  the  prison,  Joan  asked  if  they  were  not  priests, 
and  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  she  begged  them  to  approach,  saying 
that  she  was  so  sure  of  her  innocence  and  the  mercy  of  God,  that  she  was 
willing  to  confess  before  the  whole  world. 

The  auditors  in  listening  to  this  confession,  which  revealed  a  life  of  purity, 
devotedness  and  torture,  and  which  was  about  to  be  terminated  by  the 
most  horrible  death  invented  by  man  for  the  most  atrocious  criminals,  were 
moved  to  tears,  whilst  that  Joan,  in  proportion  as  she  drew  near  to  death, 
and  consequently  to  her  God,  seemed  to  receive  from  divine  mercy  that 
strength  which  she  so  greatly  needed. 

After  the  confession,  the  holy  sacrament  was  brought  upon  a  paten  cover- 
ed over  with  a  cloth,  without  a  taper,  stole  or  surplice,  and  all  through  the 
communion  they  repeated  the  Litany  of  the  dying  ;  Orate  pro  ea,  pray  for 
her. 

At  two  o'clock,  Joan,  who  was  still  praying,  assisted  by  brother  Martin 
Ladvenu,  heard  the  noise  of  the  cart,  the  shouts  of  the  English  who  accom- 
panied it,  and  that  dull  confused  murmur  of  the  crowd  which  rises  full  and 
constant  like  the  noise  of  the  tide.  She  comprehended  that  the  moment  was 


104  JOAN,  THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

come,  and  rose  first  herself.  Then  her  keepers  entered  and  detached  the 
chain  from  her  waist :  two  others  soon  brought  her  some  female  attire,  which 
Joan  humbly  and  modestly  put  on  in  the  darkest  corner  of  her  prison  ;  her 
hands  were  then  bound,  and  an  iron  ring  placed  upon  each  ankle,  the  two 
rings  being  connected  by  a  chain. 

Joan  descended  leaning  upon  the  arms  of  Massieu  the  beadle,  and  brother 
Martin  Ladvenu  ;  Pierre  marched  before  to  preserve  her  as  much  as  possi- 
ble from  the  insults  of  the  English.  On  arriving  at  the  door,  in  the  midst 
of  the  cries  and  abuses  which  saluted  her,  she  heard  one  voice  of  supplica- 
tion addressed  to  her,  she  turned  in  the  direction  whence  the  sound  pro- 
ceeded, and  saw  Loyseleur  struggling  with  the  guards  ;  goaded  with  remorse 
he  strove  to  mount  the  executioner's  cart  to  obtain  Joan's  pardon  at  any 
price  whatever  ;  but  the  English  knowing  his  intention,  and  who  feared  that 
such  a  confession  would  excite  the  pity  of  the  multitude  in  favour  of  the 
accused  and  cause  a  mutiny,  retained  him  by  force.  But  hardly  was  the 
cart  in  motion  when  he  escaped  and  ran  after  it,  crying :  "  Pardon,  Joan  ! 
Forgive  me,  Joan  !  God  grant  me  a  long  life  to  expiate  my  sins  by  a  penance 
equal  to  my  crimes.  Pardon  !  pardon  !" 

Joan  could  not  imagine  what  he  meant;  for,  as  we  have  said — she  believed 
this  wretch  to  be  a  worthy  good  priest.  Brother  Martin  then  told  her  who 
he  was,  and  how  she  had  been  betrayed  by  him  :  Joan  immediately  stood 
up,  and  with  a  loud  voice  :  "  Brother  Loyseleur,"  said  she,  "  I  forgive  you  ; 
pray  to  God  for  me."  The  priest  then  fell  with  his  face  to  the  earth,  so 
overwhelmed  with  remorse  that  he  wished  to  be  trampled  under  the  feet  of 
the  horses,  and  as  his  public  confession  had  already  caused  some  emotion  in 
the  multitude,  they  were  obliged  to  take  him  up  and  carry  him  away  by 
force. 

The  cart  was  attended  by  eight  hundred  full  armed  Englishmen,  who,  nu- 
merous as  they  were,  had  great  difficulty  to  force  a  passage  through  the  vast 
serried  multitude  ;  so  that  Joan  was  an  hour  and  a  half  going  from  the  tower 
to  the  old  market  place.  On  arriving  there  she  cried  out :  "  Oh  !  Rouen, 
Rouen,  is  it  here  that  I  must  die  !" 

Three  scaffolds  were  erected ;  one  for  the  judges,  one  for  Joan,  and  the 
other  for  the  burning  of  the  victim.  At  the  sight  of  the  funeral  pile  a  deadly 
pallor  spread  over  the  lovely  face  of  the  youthful  martyr,  she  averted  her 
head  from  the  dreadful  view,  and  her  confessor  gave  her  a  crucifix,  which 
infused  into  her  fainting  heart  sufficient  courage  to  raise  her  brow  and  look  at 
the  pile. 

At  the  foot  of  the  scaffold  from  which  she  was  to  hear  her  sentence  pro- 
nounced, she  got  out  at  the  back  of  the  cart  and  mounted  the  scaffold  steps 
supported  by  Martin  Ladvenu  ;  Pierre  and  Massieu  remained  at  the  foot. 

Hardly  had  she  reached  the  place  destined  for  her,  when  the  priest  Misi 
commenced  a  discourse  against  her,  which  contained  more  abuses  than  she 
had  ever  received  from  the  English.  Joan  appeared  not  to  hear  it,  but 


JOAN,   THE    HEROIC   MAIDEN.'  105 

prayed  and  kissed  the  crucifix  as  long  as  it  continued.  At  last  the  preacher 
terminated  his  long  harangue  by  these  words  :  "  Go  in  peace,  the  Church 
being  no  longer  able  to  defend  you,  delivers  you  into  secular  hands."  The 
Bishop  then  rose  and  read  to  Joan  the  judgment  which  had  been  previously 
read  to  her  by  the  keeper  of  the  register. 

As  soon  as  it  was  pronounced,  Joan  fell  upon  her  knees  and  addressed 
to  God  our  Saviour  the  most  devout  prayers ;  holding  up  her  manacled 
hands,  she  supplicated  the  prayers  of  the  by-standers,  of  whatever  rank  or 
nation  they  might  be.  The  bailiff  then  ordered  the  executioner  to  take  the 
prisoner  and  conduct  her  to  the  pile  ;  but  even  the  executioner  was  softened 
by  the  great  faith  which  Joan  exhibited,  and  prolonged  his  preparations  in 
order  to  give  her  time  to  finish  her  devotions  ;  and  she  performed  them  with 
so  much  earnestness — says  the  chronicle — that  the  judges,  prelates,  and 
other  assistants  were  moved  even  to  sobs  and  tears,  and  many  English  made 
confession  and  acknowledged  the  name  of  God  in  seeing  her,  whom  they  had 
represented  as  a  heretic,  come  to  so  pious  an  end. 

Nevertheless,  there  were  others  who,  far  from  being  moved  at  this  touch- 
ing spectacle,  were  chafing  with  impatience  to  see  it  finished,  fearing  that 
some  sedition  might  spring  up  in  the  city  and  disappoint  them  in  their  mur- 
derous intentions.  Many  soldiers  and  captains  cried  out :  "  Why  so  much 
manoeuvering  and  delay  ?  Hand  her  over  to  us  and  we  will  soon  despatch 
her.  Among  the  rest  two  or  three  impatient  judges  were  heard  to  say  : 
"  Come,  come,  priest ;  executioner,  no  more  delay.  Do  you  want  us  to 
dine  here  ?" 

The  guards  then  seized  Joan  and  placed  upon  her  head  a  mitre,  upon 
which  were  written  these  words  :  "  Relapsed  heretic,  apostate,  and  idolater  ;" 
and  dragging  her  to  the  funeral  pile  they  thrust  her  into  the  hands  of  the  ex- 
cutioner,  saying,  "  Do  your  duty."  Poor  Joan  turned  towards  brother  Mar- 
tin, and  stretching  out  her  hands  towards  him  ;  "  My  father,"  said  she,  "do 
not  forsake  me." 

The  worthy  man  needed  not  this  appeal ;  he  followed  Joan,  and  as  the 
pile  had  been  raised  very  high  upon  a  mound,  so  that  every  body  could  see 
her  die,  he  aided  her  in  ascending  it,  which  was  very  difficult  on  account  of 
the  chains  upon  her  ankles.  Finally,  the  priest  and  the  executioner  raised 
her  up  in  their  arms,  whilst  a  sub-executioner  drew  her  up  by  the  shoulders. 
Brother  Martin  and  the  executioner  followed  after. 

Then  they  bound  her  to  the  stake  which  formed  the  centre  of  the  pile. 
Joan  made  no  resistance,  but  with  lamb-like  submission  she  bowed  to  her 
cruel  fate,  merely  imploring  all  believers  in  God  to  pray  for  her.  The  ex- 
cutioner  having  finished  his  task  descended  with  his  valet,  leaving  Joan  alone 
with  brother  Martin.  Pierre  and  Massieu  who  were  standing  at  the  foot  of 
the  pile  cried  out  to  her  :  "  Courage,  Joan  !  courage,  God  will  aid  you  !" 
.she  replied,  "  Thank  you,  thank  you  good  people." 

At  that  moment  the  executioner  approached  the  pile  with  a  torch,  and  as 


106  JOAN,    THE   HEROIC    MAIDEN. 

they  had  placed  rosin  and  other  combustible  substances  upon  each  comer  of 
it,  the  flame  spread  rapidly.  Brother  Martin  was  completely  absorbed  in 
his  pious  functions  exhorting  Joan  to  put  her  faith  in  Christ,  and  to  pray 
for  strength  to  support  the  fiery  trial,  when  the  flame  was  on  the  point  of 
communicating  to  his  dress.  Joan  observed  it  first,  and  said  to  him  ;  "  In 
God's  name,  take  care,  my  father  ;  the  flame  has  almost  reached  your  robe  ! 
descend,  descend  quickly,  and  hold  up  the  crucifix  before  my  eyes  that  I 
may  look  on  it  till  I  die  ! 

The  priest  had  barely  time  to  descend,  for  the  fire  gained  with  such  ra- 
pidity that  the  English  began  then  to  complain  that  the  torments  of  their 
victim — for  which  they  had  so  long  and  impatiently  waited — were  going  to 
finish  too  soon.  At  that  moment — no  one  knew  why — the  Bishop  had 
the  courage  to  descend  from  his  scaffold  and  approach  the  burning  pile. 
"  Bishop,  Bishop,"  cried  Joan,  "  you  know  well  that  I  die  by  your  hands  !" 
Then  feeling  the  heat  of  the  flame  :  "  O  Rouen  !  Rouen,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  I  fear  thou  mayest  suffer  for  my  death  !" 

The  fire  continued  to  gain,  whilst  the  smoke  formed  a  curtain  between 
the  sufferer  and  the  spectators ;  but  as  long  as  they  could  see  her,  her  eyes 
were  raised  to  heaven,  and  they  heard  her  voice  invoking  her  God.  At 
length  the  flame  dispelled  the  smoke  ;  they  heard  for  the  last  time  the  word 
Jesus;  then  a  piercing  cry  of  anguish  rent  the  air  :  it  was  the  Eli,  Eli, 
lama  sabachthani  !  of  the  Saviour  of  France. 

Joan  was  hardly  dead  when  the  executioner  went  up  to  brother  Mar- 
tin and  asked  him  if  he  thought  God  would  punish  him  for  the  evil  he 
had  done  to  that  woman,  whom  he  said  he  regarded  as  a  saint.  Brother 
Martin  tried  to  console  him,  saying  that  he  was  only  the  instrument,  and 
that  God  would  distinguish  between  the  instrument  and  the  arm  that  wield- 
ed it. 

But  it  was  still  worse  when  the  executioner  found  that  notwithstanding 
the  coal,  sulphur  and  oil  which  he  had  laid  upon  the  breast  of  Joan,  her  heart 
remained  entire  and  full  of  blood.  He  had  exercised  his  terrible  vocation 
for  nineteen  years,  and  this  was  the  first  instance  of  the  kind  that  he  had 
ever  known. 

But  this  compassion  which  moved  the  soul  of  the  executioner  pervaded 
more  than  one  breast ;  at  the  moment  the  pile  was  lighted,  several  of  the 
judges,  and  among  others  Houppeville,  Migot,  Fabry,  Riquer  and  Mauchon, 
left  their  places  and  retired,  saying  that  they  could  not  endure  such  a  spec- 
tacle as  that.  Mauchon,  who  was  the  apostolic  notary,  declared  he  had 
never  shed  so  many  tears  in  all  the  afflictions  he  had  ever  suffered,  as  he  did 
for  the  cruel  fate  of  poor  Joan ;  and  in  token  of  his  sincerity,  he  took  a  part 
of  the  money  which  he  had  received  for  the  process,  and  bought  a  missal, 
in  which  he  ceased  not  to  pray  for  Joan  to  the  end  of  his  days.  Further- 
more, at  the  instant  the  martyr  expired,  a  prebendary  of  Rouen  named  John 
de  la  Pie  was  heard  to  say  :  "Alas  !  alas  !  my  God,  when  the  hour  of  my 


JOAN,    THE    HEROIC    MAIDEN.  107 

death  shall  come,  receive  my  soul  into  the  same  place  with  the  departed 
spirit  of  Joan."  Even  the  secretary  of  the  king  of  England-,  John  Frappart, 
returned  from  the  execution  weeping  lamentably,  and  saying,  "  Wo  to  us  ! 
wo  to  us  !  we  are  lost ;  for  we  have  this  day  burnt  a  saint,  whose  soul  is 
now  in  paradise." 

But  the  report  which  made  the  strongest  impression  upon  the  minds  of 
all,  was  that  an  Englishman,  who  hated  Joan  so  much  that  he  had  insulted 
her  in  her  prison,  and  during  her  trial,  and  at  last  swore  that  the  day  Joan 
was  burned,  he  would  carry  one  fagotto  the  pile.  In  fact,  he  was  approach- 
ing the  funeral  pile  with  his  fagot  of  wood,  when  suddenly  his  legs  failed 
him,  he  fell  upon  his  knees,  extended  his  hands  towards  Joan  and  begged 
for  pardon  apparently  ready  to  expire.  He  was  soon  lifted  up,  and  being 
asked  \vhat  the  matter  was,  he  declared  loudly  that  the  moment  Joan  cried 
Jesus  !  he  saw  a  dove  come  out  of  the  fire  and  ascend  towards  heaven,  and 
that  he  was  certain  that  the  dove  was  the  soul  of  the  martyr. 

The  same  day  the  cardinal  of  England — fearing  that  even  her  relics  might 
accomplish  some  miracle — ordered  that  her  heart  should  be  given  to  him, 
and  that  the  ashes  of  her  body  mingled  with  those  of  the  pile  should  be 
thrown  from  the  bridge  into  the  Seine,  to  be  thus  transported  to  the  bound- 
less ocean. 

These  things  came  to  pass  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  May,  1431. 


THE    END. 


A    000036459 


